Survival Instincts
by Paulina Ann
Summary: Next in the "Taken" series after "Debts." F/20 J/18. What was pitched as a babysitting assignment at a week-long country club survival camp with little risk turns into a cathartic experience for Joe as he faces old wounds. Vanessa and Frank are along for the ride and face their own concerns as the assignment turns out to be more than babysitting.
1. Chapter 1

**Survival Instincts**

* * *

 **Disclaimer:** I do not own the Hardy Boys or any of the book characters.

 **Thank you:** Wendylouwho10 as always for being my sounding board and flow checker. ;-D Typos and grammar errors are mine.

 **Rating/Setting:** Rating is T. Continues my "Taken" series. This one comes after "Debts." Setting started out as kinda blue spine with a touch of Casefiles and is now very AU. F/20 J/18.

 **Summary:** Next in the "Taken" series after "Debts." F/20 J/18. What was pitched as a babysitting assignment at a week-long country club survival camp with little risk turns into a cathartic experience for Joe as he faces old wounds. Vanessa and Frank are along for the ride and face their own concerns as the assignment turns out to be more than babysitting.

 **Author's Notes:** I'll list the story sequence here but it won't appear again until the next story:

Taken  
Recovery  
Retribution  
Wild Pitch  
Undercover Trouble: Covert Contention (yeah, I don't know, just got kinda wordy there)  
For Who You Are  
Mission Parameters  
Debts  
Survival Instincts

* * *

 **Chapter One**

Frank, Joe, and Vanessa stopped their chatting as they checked in at the reception area of the non-descript ORT office on the outskirts of NYC.

"We have an appointment with Agent Johnson," Frank said with a smile as he leaned against the counter.

"He's expecting you: sixth floor, conference room 646," came the pleasant response.

"Thanks, Shannon," Joe said as the group turned for the elevator.

"No problem. Your father is already there," she responded.

"Dad?" Frank asked with a quizzical look.

"Yes, he arrived about an hour ago."

The three exchanged glances as they entered the elevator. None of them had known that Fenton would be attending. It added an unexpected dimension to the meeting. Discussion was at a minimum as they exited the confirmed space and headed the short distance down the corridor.

Agent Keo Johnson stood as the trio entered. "Thank you all for coming on such short notice," he said with a smile.

"It was no trouble," Vanessa replied with a glance at a rather quiet Fenton Hardy.

"What brings you here, dad?" Joe asked as he pulled a chair out for Vanessa and seated himself.

"Agent Johnson just wanted me to be in on the loop on this _potential_ assignment since it isn't a regular one." Fenton's tone was calm but there was an edge to it that indicated that there was more going on than met the eye.

Frank hadn't missed the slight emphasis that his father had placed on the word 'potential' which meant his father wasn't certain of it. "Is there a problem?"

Before Fenton could say more, Johnson said, "Let me tell you what the assignment is. That will give you a better idea of questions to ask." Everyone nodded. "Another agency has requested the use of some ORT agents fitting specific criteria. That criterion is that the agents be skilled fighters, marksmen, problem-solvers who are college age."

"So that could be us," Vanessa said. "Why do they need those skills with that age requirement?"

"And what agency is this?" Frank asked sensing that this could be the problem his father was having.

"The agency name isn't important but the reason they need that age requirement is because they need some college students babysat over spring break." Johnson only paused for a moment. "The agency has a deep undercover operative whose cover is in jeopardy just as he is finishing his mission. These students are his children and could be used against him if his cover is blown."

"Why not just secret them away to a safe house until the end of the mission?" Joe asked as his gaze traveled between Johnson and his father.

"It was considered, but the risk is considered low and the kids don't know exactly what their father is involved in," Johnson answered.

"Ahhh," Vanessa looked at Johnson. "They're trying to keep the kids in the dark in order to help keep his cover for future missions."

"Short answer: yes."

"What would we be doing during this babysitting?" Frank probed further.

"Jeffrey and Brianna Zane will be attending a survival camp in northwestern VA. They're students at UVA and the camp is popular during spring break. Frank, you'd be going in as a student instructor helping out during break to earn some extra cash. Joe and Vanessa will go in as dating college students who just wanted to do this for fun," Johnson informed them looking at each in turn.

Frank looked with some concern at his brother before he answered. "I'm not sure that—"

Joe broke in. His gaze firmly locked on Johnson as he asked, "Survival camp? What kind of survival?"

Johnson didn't break the gaze. "It's really a country club type facility catering to rich students who want to say they've done a survival camp. It's nothing in-depth but kind of an introduction to a number of things including self-defense, learning to shoot, and outdoor survival."

"That's a lot to cover in a week," Joe said as he relaxed in his seat somewhat.

"Like I said, it's an introduction to people who have probably never even camped out." Johnson broke the visual lock he had with Joe to look at all of them. "You'd just be keeping a close eye on them and IF something happened, Joe and Vanessa would be in charge of getting them out of the camp while Frank would assist the agents there in protecting the other campers."

"Wait. _Other agents_?" Frank asked. "If there are other agents there, why do they need us?"

"Remember they're trying to keep Zane's cover," Johnson said.

"But there _are_ other agents there," Frank continued. He noticed that for the first time Johnson looked uncomfortable. " _Why_ are there other agents there?"

"Yes, why?" Fenton spoke for the first time. "Does it have something to do with that agency?"

Johnson drew a deep breath and let it out. "The agency uses that camp at times to train their own black ops agents when it's not open to the public."

Joe laughed, "A black op training camp in plain sight. I bet the camp is run by the agency."

Johnson nodded.

"What agency? And don't give me the 'it's not important' line again." Fenton's voice now had a tone that made his sons take note as it meant that he was seriously ticked.

"Network," Johnson said as he looked at Fenton.

Fenton let out a curse that would have had their Aunt Gertrude lecturing them for a week. "I don't want my sons or Vanessa involved with them, Agent Johnson."

Johnson threw his hands up in the air and leaned back in his chair causing it to roll slightly back. "It's babysitting, Fenton! Low risk."

Fenton crossed his arms over his chest. "Since when has the Network ever _told you_ everything? If so, they were more honest with you than with me."

"Um, what's the Network?" Vanessa asked.

This time it was Fenton who answered. "They're a black ops government group who specializes in counter-terrorism, infiltration, and possibly assassination."

"How do you know them, dad?" Frank asked now that the agency name was out and it was obvious their father knew it.

"They've contracted me twice. Both times when you boys were little. The work was too dangerous for a man supporting a wife and two young children."

"What did you do?" Joe asked in curiosity.

"I went undercover for a couple of months each time to gain information. That's all I'll say. The rest is classified."

The room went silent as the three digested the information and Johnson assessed what he should say next.

"The Network needs our assistance. I won't force them to do the job, but if they don't there isn't another group that would fit in this well and quickly since it is just next week," Johnson said as he looked to Fenton.

Fenton glared at Johnson for a moment and turned the waiting three. "I won't tell you not to go but I will tell you to watch your backs and be on alert. The Network never tells you everything and sometimes the results can be painful." Fenton's tone softened and it was obvious that he had experienced this pain.

"If you'd give us a few minutes?" Frank asked the two older men who then left the room quietly. Once the door closed he said, "I vote no."

"Because of me or dad?" Joe asked as he swiveled his chair to look at his brother. "Because if it's me, then that's the wrong reason."

"Joe, it's a _survival camp_! Some of that… stuff is going to bring back painful memories for you."

Joe's tone was slightly sarcastic as he responded, "I KNOW it's a survival camp but there's nothing—"

"I vote yes." Vanessa said from the other side of Joe. Both boys turned to look at her. "What? Forget that I was in the room or just not thinking I had a vote?"

"Why?" Frank asked ignoring Vanessa's joking.

"Didn't you hear Johnson? We're the only ones."

"There are other agents there," Frank responded.

"But we'd be the best ones to get them out as well as not be noticed by anyone attacking. No one would suspect us," was her counter.

"I vote with Vanessa," Joe said as he spun back to his brother. "I can handle it and we're the only ones. Do you have a counter argument beside the other agents there?"

Frank shook his head no. "I don't. And to be honest, my main concern _was_ you. But you've proven that you can handle just about anything."

Joe smiled. "Let's make Johnson happy."

"And dad less than happy," Frank added as he went to the door.


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer:** I do not own the Hardy Boys or any of the book characters.

 **Thank you:** Wendylouwho10 as always for being my sounding board and flow checker. ;-D Typos and grammar errors are mine.

 **Rating/Setting:** Rating is T. Continues my "Taken" series. This one comes after "Debts." Setting started out as kinda blue spine with a touch of Casefiles and is now very AU. F/20 J/18.

 **Author's Notes:** Thanks to those who are reading! (And a big thank you to those who have reviewed!) Just to let you know, I'm on chapter eleven of the next story, so things ARE moving along!

* * *

 **Chapter Two**

Frank, Joe, and Vanessa spent the rest of the week and part of the weekend, going over their covers for the mission. The Network had provided their credentials and it was determined by ORT not to use their usual cover names.

Frank's cover was as an NYU student. With Phil attending there, Frank had some second hand knowledge as well as that provided by the Network. His name was Case Davis and he was accomplished in MMA, which would be his main area of instruction at the camp.

Joe's cover was for Wayne State University which he had some knowledge of from his time in the Detroit area during his first ORT mission. His name was Paul Conroy and he was a somewhat lazy student who was more interested in fishing and hunting than college. His parents were hoping that he'd buckle down and study. He didn't care to talk about them since they were pushing him to go to college.

Vanessa would be Ashton Timmer. She was also attending Wayne State and had come more to hang out with her boyfriend than any serious interest in survival techniques. She was currently just in general classes not having determined what area of study she wanted to pursue. She'd been dating Paul for about two years.

At the airport that Sunday, Fenton, Laura, Callie, and Andrea went to see them off.

Laura pulled each of her boys into a hug and admonished them to take care of themselves.

"Mom, it's just a week. We'll be home next Saturday night," Joe said as she released him.

Still holding his arm, she said, "It's just that your father hasn't been himself since he told me you'd be going off. Is there something that I don't know?" Laura shook head in a negative fashion and laughed. "Well, there's plenty I don't know. But is there something I _should_ know?"

"I don't think so, mom. It'll be fine." Joe said pulling her back into another hug.

"Oh, Joe. I wish that made me feel better," she added as she hugged him back.

Joe didn't envy his father as his mother was sure to be on pins and needles until they returned. He was glad that she didn't know that his rifle was being shipped to operatives in VA so he'd have it if he needed it. He was surprised when Andrea Bender took his arm. "Mrs. Bender?"

"Mom!" Vanessa said from behind her indignantly.

"Take care of her," Andrea said with a smile.

Joe's eyes twinkled as he looked over her shoulder to Vanessa and said, "Oh, I think she takes care of me." Then he looked at her and seriously said, "Always."

Andrea nodded as Vanessa blushed.

Joe held out his arm for Vanessa who took it. They walked over to where Frank was giving Callie a good-bye kiss. As Frank and Vanessa walked on ahead, he jokingly looked to Callie and said, "Don't worry, Vanessa's _my_ girlfriend this time." Callie laughed and hit his arm as he walked away, taking the concerned look away from her face. He was so very glad that Callie had accepted what he had told her as well as what Frank had. Their relationship seemed to be back on firm footing. As he walked toward security behind his brother and girlfriend, he was optimistic about the week-long mission.

.**********.

Joe and Vanessa whispered quietly together on their flight to Detroit. Frank was on a plane to NYC where he would take a flight to Richmond, VA. A Network agent from the camp would pick him up there. They, however, needed to arrive in Richmond on a flight from Detroit. So when they landed they would take a rental car to the camp that was north of Charlottesville, in the mountains.

"What a corny name," Joe said as he looked at the brochure they had been given for the camp. "Camp Perseverance."

Vanessa smiled as she took the brochure from him. "Well, the name may be corny but their advertising is top notch." She opened the pamphlet and looked again at the dorm rooms. "I'm hoping it's as nice as it looks in here and their online pics."

Joe laughed, "Glamper."

She smacked him lightly on the arm. "I am _not_ a glamour camper!"

"Bunk beds with real mattresses, electricity, hot showers, a cafeteria—"

Vanessa joined in his laughter. "Well, maybe it's not roughing it—"

"You need to come camping with Frank and I. Now we'll teach you survival camping!"

"No way! Not even if Callie came too!"

Joe's voice took on an excited tone. "That's a great idea, Vanessa! The four of us can go! You and Callie can set up your own tent. Frank and I would help you if you needed it. We'd teach you to fish, start a fire with flint, steel, and dryer lint—"

"Dryer lint? What part of roughing it involves dryer lint?" Vanessa asked with a smile.

"Just trying to help you out, babe. The lint lights up quickly with magnesium scraped on it and then with the sparks from the flint and steel."

"I'm thinking matches and lighter fluid myself," Vanessa said.

"Great! I knew you'd want to do it!" Joe said enthusiastically.

"Wait, I didn't say—"

"Um, yes you did, you said you were thinking matches and lighter fluid so that means we're a go!"

Vanessa just shook her head and turned back to the information provided by ORT on her tablet. She'd have to convince him that she was NOT camping at a later time.

.**********.

Having a shorter flight combo, Frank arrived in Richmond ahead of Joe and Vanessa. When he reached the baggage claim he found Edward Clary waiting for him. He had been sent an encrypted report about the Network agent along with a picture. The man had twenty-two years of black op service with various government groups including the Rangers, CIA, and the Network. He had spent the last five years running the camp. The man had kept his dark hair close cropped and his clothes bore the crispness that could only come from starch. Obviously his time in the military had put a stamp on him that hadn't lessened over the years. Frank grabbed his bag from the conveyor and walked over to Clary. The man's dark brown eyes gave nothing away as Frank approached. Frank's momentary apprehension vanished as the stern expression dropped from Clary to be replaced by a warm smile. He stepped forward and reached out a hand to Frank as the boy sat down his luggage.

"Very pleased to meet you, Case," Clary said as he shook Frank's hand. "So glad you could come on such short notice to help us out at camp."

"No problem, Mr. Clary. I could really use that extra money for the summer," Frank said easily falling into his cover story.

"Call me Edward or Eddie. The campers will call me Mr. Clary," he said with a laugh.

"Of course, Eddie," Frank said as he fell into step beside the man who was of equal height to him. "Thanks for coming to pick me up."

"No problem," Clary replied. "The Charlottesville/Albemarle airport would have been closer but this gives me time to brief you on the camp and the incoming campers."

Understanding exactly what Clary meant, he responded honestly, "I look forward to getting your take on things, Eddie."

.**********.

As Frank and Eddie neared Camp Perseverance, Frank did have a better handle on things. The camp did baby a number of the campers but those who wanted a serious training got it and were invited to attend other camps that weren't overviews as this one was. For this week there would be forty-one campers: twenty-six males and fifteen females. Frank would be assisting with instruction in self-defense/fighting, small arms instruction, and shelter building. An outline of how instruction would be given had been included in his information about the camp and Frank felt more than knowledgeable enough about the topics to teach untrained college students.

"How about your brother and Vanessa?" Clary asked.

"They can handle themselves well," Frank replied his eyes leaving the beautiful countryside. They had entered a more mountainous terrain and the evidence of human habitation was thinning out.

"I'm sure this can't be easy for him after what he's been through."

Frank looked more intently at the man. "Joe can handle it. His past doesn't control him. Any particular reason you're asking?"

Clary smiled. "I guess I wasn't being subtle." He glanced to Frank and back to the road. "I can't say I'm not curious about him. For a teenager, he's been through more than any desk jockey agent ready to retire. Some of them have never drawn their service revolver."

"Well, be prepared to be unimpressed. Joe's cover doesn't really allow for him to show what he's capable of doing."

"Maybe after the assignment is over, you and your brother can stay a little longer. I can show you both some advanced techniques," Clary said as he slowed the vehicle down for a gravel driveway off the asphalt. "Almost there," he jovially.

Frank turned his glance ahead of him taking note of the forested drive. Clary's interest wasn't unusual but he wondered if there wasn't more to the man's interest than just curiosity.

.**********.

Vanessa took note of Joe's demeanor as they left the more populated areas and moved toward the camp. His hands occasionally twisted on the steering wheel. That is, when he wasn't shifting his grip around the wheel. "Hey. You okay?"

His focus remained on the road. "Yeah. I'm okay. I mean, Frank and I went camping after what happened with Laird."

"But isn't that when Marilyn tried to kill you?"

"Uh, yeah, I guess it is."

She watched him closely. "Have you been camping since then?"

Joe thought back. "That summer was the summer I met you on the mission and last spring… well, I wasn't up for camping and then last summer we really didn't have a chance either." He sighed and relaxed his hands on the wheel for the first time in half an hour. Joe glanced over at Vanessa and smiled, "So I guess this is the first time for me to do something like this since all that went down. I guess I was tensing up."

"Just a little," she said seriously. "You know you can talk to me about any of this you know."

The smile on his face was genuine as he responded, "I know." His smile faded as he added, "You already know where my demons live."

Vanessa reached out to put a hand on his arm. She didn't have to say anything; she knew he could feel her love.


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer:** I do not own the Hardy Boys or any of the book characters.

 **Thank you:** Wendylouwho10 as always for being my sounding board and flow checker. ;-D Typos and grammar errors are mine.

 **Rating/Setting:** Rating is T. Continues my "Taken" series. This one comes after "Debts." Setting started out as kinda blue spine with a touch of Casefiles and is now very AU. F/20 J/18.

 **Author's Notes:** Thanks for reading and reviewing!

* * *

 **Chapter Three**

Joe grabbed their bags from the trunk and moved them over beside the other campers' luggage and then joined Vanessa at a table with some others that had arrived. Looking over the group, he figured the majority were here. There was only about eight missing and they had until 6:00 p.m. to check-in. His eyes moved over to a group that contained Jeffrey and Brianna Zane. The twins were attractive with their matching dark hair and tan complexions. Jeffrey had the group laughing and it appeared that the report on him was correct; he liked being the center of attention.

Vanessa tapped on his arm and said, "I'm going to get a bottle of water." She indicated a table against the wall with a large tub of ice with bottles of water in it.

"Sure," he replied as she stood up and moved away. He watched her for a moment _. I'm such a lucky guy_. His eyes moved back to the table with Jeffrey and Brianna but Jeffrey wasn't there. Joe's eyes moved around the room and he spotted Jeffrey heading in Vanessa's direction.

.**********.

It only took a moment for Jeffrey to reach Vanessa. He reached in front of her and grabbed a water from the tub and handed it to her. He turned and leaned against the edge of the table, a broad smile on his face. "Hey, I'm Jeffrey."

Vanessa returned his smile as she accepted the water from him. _Well, it won't hurt to have him make the first friendly gesture_. "Hi, I'm Ashton," she said as she shook water condensation from her hand before extending it to him.

His eyes locked with hers as he grasped her hand. "Looks like I've gotten you wet."

Feeling awkward with his phrasing she withdrew her hand but kept her smile on her face. "No problem, it'll be gone in a moment."

He laughed as he kept his gaze on her. "You know I couldn't help but notice that you look a lot like my next girlfriend." **

Vanessa laughed as her brows knit together. "Isn't that from a movie?"

"Yeah, it is. I'm somewhat of a movie quote buff," he said as his smile returned. "Wish they had co-ed bunking."

Vanessa never flinched and was getting ready to return fire when she felt arms wrap around her waist.

"So do I," Joe said from over her shoulder. He didn't release his arms as he said, "My name's Paul and I'm Ashton's boyfriend."

"Nice to meet you," Jeffrey returned and then looked to Vanessa. "I'm sure to see you around. Maybe we'll get paired together for some of the activities."

"Maybe," Joe replied. "I wouldn't mind being paired up with you."

Vanessa resisted the urge to roll her eyes as the testosterone had reached the stratosphere around her. "See you around, Jeffrey." She moved out of the circle of Joe's arms and took his hand as they went back to their seats. "You know you're going to have to learn to control that."

"What?"

"Oh, I think you know what. I think you've gotten off on the wrong foot with him now." Vanessa said with some exasperation.

"It's no big deal."

She turned to face him with the smile on her face that didn't reach her eyes. "What if tomorrow the camp were attacked? Do you think Jeffrey is going to think you're a guy to follow?"

Joe sat back down heavily in his seat. "You're right. I didn't make the best move. I honestly went over there to introduce myself but then I could tell he was flirting." He shrugged. "I couldn't help it. I got jealous."

Vanessa laughed. "I'm YOUR girlfriend and I'm here AS your girlfriend. Trust me," she bumped into his arm with hers. "No one here has anything I want except you."

Joe turned a dazzling smile on her. "Same here." He glanced around the room. "Just be sure YOU remember that when the girls all flock around me during the week."

Vanessa laughed feeling that she had diffused Joe a little. She hoped that Jeffrey didn't keep up the flirting or it would be a VERY long week.

.**********.

"Let me have your attention please!" a booming voice sounded from a corner of the room. The noise immediately quieted. "My name is Mr. Clary and you will address me as such during the week." He went through a brief introduction of the other instructors and assistants and then added, "You will learn more about the staff during the week as you go through the various activities. Not everyone will be doing the same thing everyday so it may take a couple of days for you to be introduced to everyone you see standing up here with me. Please note that camp staff will ALWAYS be wearing a camp shirt like I am and will have camp ID with them." He glanced over to another staff member and nodded. The woman took a basket with files over to a nearby table where she sat with another instructor. "We'll start on the room assignments now. Last names ending with A-L please line up on the left. Names M-Z please line up on the right. Room assignments are determined by the camp and are not open for negotiation."

Joe watched Clary turn and exit the room. "Well, I guess there's no room for any questions," he said with a laugh.

"Guess not," Vanessa said with a shrug. "Shall we go get in line?"

"No rush," Joe replied and reached out to take her hand. "We'll get our assignments from the camp. Remember, there's no negotiating."

"And no co-ed rooming." She laughed as Joe turned a light shade of pink.

Ten minutes later the two were in their lines. Jeffrey and Brianna had also waited to get in line and now Joe had to put up with Jeffrey standing in line behind Vanessa. Thankfully though, Brianna was talking to her and not her brother.

"Hi, I'm Brianna Zane and I think you've already met my brother Jeffrey. Hopefully he didn't offend you too badly earlier."

"Why would you say that?" Vanessa asked.

"Sometimes he uses corny lines from movies that aren't always appropriate," she said with a frown at her brother.

"But sometimes they work," he said with a laugh.

"Well, I'm Ashton Timmer and this is my boyfriend, Paul Conroy," Vanessa said while taking Joe's arm.

Brianna gave him a brief hello and then turned back to Vanessa. "I'm glad you got a boyfriend. Did you see that sexy camp instructor?"

"Clary?" asked Vanessa with a frown.

Brianna laughed. "No! Case Davis, the dark-hair one near the door. He looks to be a college student."

"Yeah, I think I did see him," Vanessa said with a growing smile. The only person fitting that description was Frank. Even as she listened to Brianna Vanessa watched Joe step up to the table to get his room assignment. He took his key card envelope and stepped to the side to wait for her as she stepped up to her table. "Ashton Timmer."

"Good afternoon, Ashton, I'm Laura Pond and I'll be one of the instructors this week but today I'm doubling as check-in." She glanced down at her paperwork and then grabbed an envelope with her name and key card inside. "Here's your room number and key. There are two people in a room and your roommate's name is on the envelope as well."

"Thank you, Ms. Pond." Vanessa looked at the envelope and then looked at Brianna. "We're roommates!"

Brianna made a sound indicating that she was pleased as her brother stepped up to the table next. "That's great! I'm glad we'll be rooming together!"

Jeffrey grunted.

"What's your problem, Jeff?" Brianna as she looked in his direction.

"He's just seen that we're roommates," Joe said with a laugh. Joe took Vanessa's envelope and looked at it. "Looks like your building is right beside ours. Not quite co-ed, but at least we'll be close."

"And no sneaking over into the other building young man," Laura Pond said as she leaned to the side to give Joe a stern look.

"No 'mam, of course not," he said with a smile and a laugh.

Vanessa gave him a small punch to the arm. "Why don't we wait for Brianna and we can all walk over together?"

Joe shrugged. "Sure."

"There's just the two dorm living areas right?" Jeffrey asked.

"Yeah, that's what the map on the website showed," Vanessa said as she pulled out her brochure. "Yes. There's just the two and each one has sixteen rooms so there'll be some empty rooms in both buildings."

Brianna stepped over to join them. "Ready?"

"Born that way," Jeffrey said with a laugh.

"Yeah? Well, I was born first, so I guess you weren't completely ready," Brianna said as she grabbed her bag. "Let's go, little brother."

Jeffrey shook his head and led the way.

.**********.

Joe walked into the room and looked around. All the rooms were set up with an over/under bunkbed with lights attached to the wall for both, a bathroom, and two areas on either side of the bathroom with a dresser and hanging clothes bar over top. "Which bunk do you want?" Joe asked in an effort to be friendly.

"I like being on top," Jeffrey said with a laugh as he placed his suitcase on the top of the dresser and then grabbed his phone and climbed up to the top bunk.

Joe just stared at him for a moment and then shook his head. It was going to be a long week and he was beginning to regret taking the assignment. Frank had been right to question how this mission would affect him mentally but it wasn't because of the survival aspect, it was going to be his roommate. He placed his suitcase on his dresser and began to unpack.

"What the hell is this?" Jeffrey asked as he turned over on his side to face Joe's back. "There's no cell service and no wifi."

Joe smiled as he placed a stack of t-shirts in a drawer and then reached into his back pocket to grab the brochure that Vanessa had given him. He opened to the inside and held it up toward Jeffrey. "Right in the brochure, man. 'Get away from everything. Limited cell service and no wifi provided.'"

"Well, crap," Jeffrey said as he swung his legs over the side of the bed and dropped the phone beside him.

Joe turned back to his unpacking; he could feel Jeffrey's eyes on his back and he knew nothing good was going to happen next.

"So how long have you and Ashton been together?"

"About a year," Joe replied easily.

"Just a year, huh?"

"We've been dating a year but we've known each other for two. Any reason you're asking?" Jeffrey's smile was more of a smirk as Joe turned back to face him pushing the last drawer shut behind him.

"No. No reason at all," Jeffrey said with the smirk still on his face.

.**********.

 _I'm going to kill him myself_. Joe bit roughly into his BLT sandwich. As Vanessa laughed at another corny movie quote from Jeffrey.

"How are things going over here?"

Joe looked up into Frank's smiling face and thought the guy was enjoying this just a little too much. "Peachy. Just peachy." He squinted at the nametag. "Chase."

"Nope not chasing anyone right now." The humor stayed in Frank's eyes as he said, "My name is Case not Chase."

"Case Davis, right?" came a feminine comment from across the table.

"That's right. And you are?" Frank asked.

"Brianna. Brianna Zane. Will you be providing instruction this week Case?"

For the first time, a bit of the humor left Frank's face. Joe smirked as his brother faced what was obviously an admirer.

"Um, yes I will. I'll be helping with the self-defense classes and some of the outdoor survival activities."

"I look forward to working with you," Brianna said with a smile.

"Me too," Joe piped in and he was rewarded by a glare from his brother as he turned and headed away. "I'm sure you'll be a great instructor, Chase," he said a little louder to be sure Frank heard. He took a small moment of pleasure as Frank's stride hesitated for a moment before continuing. Joe then went back to work on his sandwich as he tried to tune out Jeffrey.

* * *

 **** "I couldn't help but notice that you look a lot like my next girlfriend." Hitch (2005)  
** I will put the quotes and movies they come from at the end of each chapter because yes, Jeffrey is going to use several.


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer:** I do not own the Hardy Boys or any of the book characters.

 **Thank you:** Wendylouwho10 as always for being my sounding board and flow checker. ;-D Typos and grammar errors are mine.

 **Rating/Setting:** Rating is T. Continues my "Taken" series. This one comes after "Debts." Setting started out as kinda blue spine with a touch of Casefiles and is now very AU. F/20 J/18.

 **Author's Notes:** Thanks for the reviews! I love them! I've been reading more than writing the last few days but I'll be at the keyboard working on the next story chapters soon. ;-)

* * *

 **Chapter Four**

Seven a.m. Monday morning and everyone was in the cafeteria. Breakfast was from 6-7:00 a.m. and everyone had been sure to get there in time for breakfast as they had learned the previous evening that if you arrived at 7:01 you didn't get breakfast. Today they would learn their group assignments. There was going to be three groups of ten and one group of eleven.

Joe already knew that he and Vanessa would be paired with Jeffrey and Brianna. The other six would just be random assignments. Clary had already announced three groups and they had headed off with their morning instructors.

Attention was on Clary. "Group four will consist of Caleb Adamson, Billy Canton, Paul Conroy, Kendrick Martin, CJ Rosser, Larry Thomas, Ashton Timmer, Genesis Underwood, Brianna Zane, and Jeffrey Zane." The members of the group moved in Clary's direction with the girls gravitating toward each other. "You'll be with Allison Crandell and Case Davis for your morning instruction." He gazed at the footwear of several campers and said, "You'll need to have on hiking shoes for this morning's activities as you'll be doing some hiking, plant identification and fire starting." He turned back to the next group as Crandell waved them over to the side of the room.

"Hello everyone. You can call me Ms. Crandell and my assistant would like to be called Case." She glanced to their feet and said, "Mr. Clary was correct. You will all need to have on your hiking shoes." She glanced over their attire. "You clothing should be adequate." She walked and exited the cafeteria and was under a large-sized portico. Change your shoes and meet back here. Everyone should be back in less than ten minutes.

Joe, Vanessa, Genesis, and CJ watched the other six members of their group head back to the dorms.

"I plan on wearing my hiking shoes everyday unless I'm told differently," Genesis said with a laugh and then introduced herself.

"Yeah, me too," CJ said.

"That's probably a good assumption to have," Frank said as he walked over to the foursome. "But after each rotation we'll let you know what attire to have on for the next one. That way you can change at lunch if you need to."

"So how did you get this gig?" CJ asked Frank.

Shrugging, Frank replied, "I attended a similar camp and the instructors there told me I'd be good it. They gave me a reference here since they knew Perseverance was looking for assistants. I only arrived yesterday myself, so if I don't look like I know everything, that's why."

"Ahhh, everyone's back now," Crandell said as the rest of the group approached from the dorms. She gestured to the cooler near the door. "Everyone grab a bottle of water. There's a clip to attach to your belts or belt loops."

The group formed a line and everyone got a bottle. Joe paused momentarily as Crandell said, "We'll be gone for hours and we don't want anyone getting dehydrated. I'm taking some purifying tablets and at a point along the trail you will get a chance to taste the purified water."

He clipped his bottle on and turned to look at his brother who he found looking intently at him. He shook his head and smiled. The last thing Joe wanted was Frank thinking he was already reliving the horror of three years ago.

"Now let's move along. If you have any questions as we hike, please ask them. Case and I will be pointing out any wildlife and plants that you should take note of but you may have a question about something else." Crandell began walking backwards and the group fell into line. "Case will be bringing up the rear to make sure that we don't get strung out too far. Please keep together."

Joe took note that Brianna took up the last position in the group which put her right in front of Frank. He smiled to himself as he took note that Jeffrey was near the front, obviously wanting to be first. Then his smile faltered as Jeffrey fell back in the line so that he was right in front of Vanessa who was right in front of him. _Yep, definitely going to be a long week_ , he thought as Jeffrey turned and began speaking with Vanessa.

.**********.

 _An hour into the hike…_

"So we're going to stop here and practice some fire building and get a chance to taste some of that water coming out of the mountainside over there." Crandell gestured toward a section of exposed rock that was weeping with water. At the base was a small pool of water that had collected there. It eventually overflowed into the surrounding soil making its way down the mountain as nothing more than trickle.

"Will we hike any further?" Brianna asked. She had ended up being the last in the group and not just because she wanted to be near Case. She was truly out of shape and tired after their hour hike uphill.

"No, not today although the trails will be open to you when you aren't training." Crandell gestured upward. "The top of this small mountain is bald, meaning that it has no trees on it. You can see for quite a ways." Her gaze found Joe. "It's the perfect spot to go if you needed to signal someone."

Joe gave a small nod. The three of them had been briefed on the evacuation route if they needed to leave the camp. The top of the bald mountain would be the extraction point. A Network team would land there and go down the mountain to meet up with them and protect them as they headed up toward the helicopters that would be awaiting them at the top. Most likely they could make it to the top in about an hour and a half if they were moving quickly. He glanced over at Brianna. They'd be lucky to make it in two and hopefully the Network would have help on the way to them much earlier than that. Joe's attention was drawn back to his immediate surroundings by Jeffrey.

.**********.

"Your eyes are amazing, do you know that? You should never shut them, not even at night."**

Vanessa laughed as she looked into Jeffrey's dark eyes. "Another movie line?"

Jeffrey smiled and stepped closer. "Definitely. Ever watch _Unfaithful_?"

"Can't say that I have but I know what it's about." She glared at him. "Not happening here, Jeffrey." She shook her head and casually walked over to stand beside Joe and take his hand. She saw him glance over to Jeffrey and back to her.

"Do I need to speak to him?"

She squeezed his hand. "No, of course not. I can handle him." As Crandell gave out directions about gathering kindling she thought, _I'm not sure who's going to kill Jeffrey first: me or Joe_.

.**********.

Crandell motioned everyone over to the small pool of water. She took out an empty water bottle and submerged it in the small pool. "If possible, you want to avoid the water at the surface of the pool. And you definitely want to avoid drinking untreated water if at all possible. Getting the runs from bacteria in the water will dehydrate you quicker than not drinking." She sat the bottle upright, showed them the purifying tablets and explained how many to use and then dropped them in and closed the container. "You also want to get your water from a source that is moving. Stagnant water can harbor much more bacteria."

"Sounds lovely," Vanessa whispered to Joe. When he didn't respond, she glanced at him and saw that he was focusing on the bottle of water where Crandell had left it. "Time to move," she said as she gave him a small elbow to the side.

"Yeah, of course," he replied and moved to join the group for their next instructions regarding fire starting.

A short time later, the group broke up to look for things to use to start a fire and Vanessa followed Joe over to the side. She looked at him carefully as he began picking up a variety of small sticks, twigs really and lichen. She thought of the suggestion he made on the flight about dryer lint and thought the lichen would substitute nicely. "You okay?"

Joe stood up, his hands filled with the kindling. "Yeah, I'm fine. Building a fire doesn't trigger anything for me. It would have been a death sentence in my situation." He turned and walked back toward Crandell.

His words rang in her ears. _Maybe the fire building isn't a trigger but that water sure is._ She would never understand what he went through at age sixteen and she hoped she never got that chance. But she could tell that even though he said he was fine and that things weren't bothering him… they were.

The groups made some laughable attempts at starting a fire but after fifteen minutes, Case stopped them. "So you see that if you don't have matches or a lighter then starting a signal fire or having the ability to cook your food can be difficult." He paced in front of the group. "So we're going to help you out a little. Please step over here." Frank demonstrated how to scrape magnesium and then how to use the flint and steel. He handed each pair a bag with flint, steel and magnesium. "Before using this, please get your kindling ready. Ms. Crandell or I will approve of your fire starting material. When we have approved it, then you'll scrape a small pile of magnesium onto the kindling and then use your flint and steel as I demonstrated earlier."

Joe and Vanessa we paired together and he showed her how to arrange the kindling. She noted how patient he was with her and that while he was helping her he was still keeping an eye on the Zane twins. With Joe's expert coaching, they soon had their fire going.

"Come help us!" Brianna called over to Joe and Vanessa.

Vanessa looked at the frustration on Jeffrey's face and felt a little bit of satisfaction.

Joe squatted down next to Brianna. "Here, let's rearrange some of the kindling to give you a better chance." He looked up to Jeffrey who was standing. "Go ahead and scrape some magnesium on a leaf while we get things ready."

Vanessa was surprised when Jeffrey gathered what he needed. But then her pleasure that he was doing what Joe asked dissipated when he sat down next to her. She kept her eyes on Brianna and Joe while she heard Jeffrey scraping the magnesium block.

"You know if we had some matches, I'd have the perfect movie line for this."

Vanessa frowned, her gaze still on Joe. "After your last attempt, I'm afraid to even ask."

"You know, when you blow out the match, it's an invitation to kiss you."**

"Well, at least that one isn't too bad," Vanessa said, her frown relaxing.

"It's from a black and white movie from the twenties."

"I'm surprised you watch movies that old. Seems like you'd be more of the present day action movie guy."

Jeffrey stopped scraping for a moment. "Mom left us when we were little and dad's gone a lot for work. We had a lot of time on our hands. I used to get a lot of old movies from the library and watch them." He shrugged, "I just kept it going with new movies." He looked at the leaf. "I think we've gotten enough now." He stood and walked over to Joe before squatting down next to him.

Vanessa stood up to join them. "If he talked more like that, it would be a lot easier to like him."

It took a little time but Brianna used the flint and steel to get the needed sparks and then she and Jeffrey got the small fire going. They were the last, but at least they got it.

"Good teamwork," Frank said as he stood near the group.

"How come you didn't help us?" Jeffrey asked.

"I could have, but the ten of you are going to have some group tasks to perform and it's good for you to learn to take direction from within your team," Frank said easily. "Plus, if Paul had told you anything incorrect, I'd have stepped in." Frank moved on to the next group.

"Just how are you so good at this, Paul?" Jeffrey asked.

"My dad took me hunting and fishing a lot. I like camping. In fact, I'd rather be doing this stuff than college," Joe said with a smile. "Books aren't my thing."

"Then why come here if you already know it all?" Jeffrey continued.

"Oh, I don't. But the main reason is my dad didn't want me getting into any trouble over spring break and he hoped this would keep me busy without the trouble," Joe said as he moved to extinguish the dying embers of his original fire.

"And Ashton?" Brianna asked with a smile.

"I thought it would be fun to go with him. The camp's not too rough though I am worried about my nails," Vanessa said with a laugh.

"You and me both," Brianna added as she joined in with the laughter.

The group spent some more time in that area identifying edible plants as well as poisonous ones then it was time for the water experience.

.**********.

Joe eyed the cup of water in his hand. Crandell had poured out a small measure for each of them from the bottle of water that she had purified. He could feel Vanessa's eyes on him as he continued to look at the cup. Then in a quick motion he raised the cup to his lips and drank it down quickly while everyone else was taking sips and making faces. He crushed the paper cup in his hand and moved to the trash bag to dispose of it. He then unclipped the water bottle at his side and took a long drink from it. He was staring at it when Vanessa came over. She put her hand on his back and rubbed. No questions asked. He let out a breath. She really was his light in the darkness when his demons dared to showed up.

He clipped his water bottle back to his belt and gave her a smile. "Thanks."

"Anytime," she responded with a smile of her own.

He was ready for the trip down the mountain.

* * *

 ****"Your eyes are amazing, do you know that? You should never shut them, not even at night." Unfaithful (2002)  
**"You know, when you blow out the match, it's an invitation to kiss you." Flesh and the Devil (1926)**


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer:** I do not own the Hardy Boys or any of the book characters.

 **Thank you:** Wendylouwho10 as always for being my sounding board and flow checker. ;-D Typos and grammar errors are mine.

 **Rating/Setting:** Rating is T. Continues my "Taken" series. This one comes after "Debts." Setting started out as kinda blue spine with a touch of Casefiles and is now very AU. F/20 J/18.

 **Author's Notes** : This is the longest chapter in the story!

* * *

 **Chapter Five**

After their morning hike they returned to the camp to eat. They could shower and change if they wanted to or just rest until their afternoon session. It was almost time for the session. Vanessa and Joe were sitting and talking in the cafeteria with their group when their instructor approached them along with Mr. Clary.

Standing stiffly erect with his hands behind his back, the tall, thin African-American gave off waves of military vibes. "My name is Lyndell Peaks. Please address me as Mr. Peaks. I will be instructing you in firearms for this session. Please understand that there is absolutely NO horseplay during this session. Anyone NOT following my instructions to the letter will be dismissed. Have I made myself clear?" The group was completely silent for a moment before erupting into a chorus of 'yes sirs.' "Then follow me."

At the indoor firing range the group was divided into two and seated at tables. On the tables were diagrams of the guns that they could look at while Peaks provided instruction. Mr. Peaks went through an overview of the gun they would be shooting: a Glock 17. Much attention was paid to the handling of the firearm. After giving the overview, he gave an unloaded weapon to each table. Mr. Clary supervised one group while Peaks did the other. They answered questions as the weapon was carefully passed from person to person.

"Now, I will give you a demonstration of the proper way to fire the weapon." The groups stood and took ear and eye protection from a basket and held onto it as Peaks talked about proper form, grip, and targeting. Then when everyone had donned the safety items, he unloaded the weapon in a quick burst of fire. He pulled off his ear protection and then flipped a switch to bring the target in. He showed the group the target. All shots were close together near the center of the target. "Now we will break into our groups and each person will take a turn with direction and instruction from either myself or Mr. Clary and then we'll break into individual stations."

Joe glanced over to Vanessa who was in the group with Brianna and three other guys. Jeffrey was in his group along with Genesis and two other guys. Joe took note of how Jeffrey did with the shooting. Not bad for his admittedly first time at a firing range. When Joe's turn came he put two shots dead center and then spaced the others out. Since he was supposed to be a hunter, it would be expected that he would be a decent shot.

"Nice shooting, Mr. Conroy," Peaks said as he looked at Joe's target. "I don't see anything to correct in your form. Perhaps take your time a little more and steady your shot." He looked at the target again, "But you are still top in this group."

Joe couldn't help but be inwardly please at Jeffrey's frown of irritation and then got after himself _. I'm not in a competition against Jeffrey. I don't have anything to prove._ As he moved to take an individual station he saw Clary walking in his direction.

"You ended up being top in the group, Mr. Conroy."

"Thank you, sir. It's probably my hunting background," Joe said as he loaded his weapon.

Clary glanced around and then said, "I'm sure that your best is better than that."

"Yes, sir. It would have been odd for me to have had all bulls-eyes." He lowered his weapon to his side.

"Show me," Clary said.

"It's not part of my mission," Joe said looking at the Network agent carefully.

"Indulge me. The others won't know."

Joe felt a little odd. He didn't want to tell Clary no but then it seemed like the man was evaluating him. "I don't plan on leaving my current situation."

"I never suggested it." Clary continued to hold his gaze.

Joe sat his weapon down and put on his ear protection. Picking up the weapon he quickly drew a bead and fired off his shots. He sat his weapon down and brought the target back in as he removed the earphones.

Clary pulled it from the clip and gave a smile. "Impressive. Didn't want to just do all center shots but made a lovely precise X."

Joe shrugged. "You wanted to be impressed."

Clary continued to smile as he clapped Joe on the back. "And I am."

As Clary walked away with the target folded up in his hand, Joe wondered if he had done the right thing.

.**********.

A short while later Peaks had told everyone that they could stay and practice in the range room with him or have some free time. When he mentioned that the indoor pool was open, that was all it took for Jeffrey. Joe rolled his eyes as he put away the weapon he'd been using and moved to the door to follow the Zanes out; Vanessa was just behind him.

"I guess the one benefit of this is that I get to see you in your bathing suit," he whispered to her.

She giggled and then said, "It's not a bikini."

"Neither is mine."

This time she laughed loudly drawing Jeffrey's attention back to them. "Just remember to be cool and calm if Jeffrey makes any comments."

Joe grunted. "That's one of the downsides to this. Jeffrey gets to see you in your bathing suit too."

Vanessa giggled again more quietly. "We'll be in a rotation with them for the water safety portion so he'd see me anyway."

"You'd have a suit on UNDER your clothes for that. Remember it's survival training, not pool safety." He looked intently at Jeffrey's back. "I would dearly love for it to be outside at the river for real training."

Vanessa playfully shoved him. "I'm glad it's not! That would be way too cold."

"But realistic."

"This isn't a diehard survival camp, J- Paul. These people are here to have fun more than to prepare themselves for being stranded in the wilderness."

"Yeah, you're right, but then you never know when you might need these skills." Joe became quiet and so did Vanessa. They had almost reached their dorms when he stopped her and said, "Sorry. I guess I am thinking about things more than I thought I would."

She wrapped her arms around him in a hug. "You never have to apologize to me about your feelings regarding your past."

He closed his eyes and laid his head against hers for a moment then he straightened up. "We better be going or we'll be way behind them."

Vanessa let go of him and moved toward her dorm. "See you there."

He waved and headed into his dorm and Jeffrey. "Five more days. I can make it," he said without much conviction as he thought about Jeffrey.

.**********.

Vanessa pulled herself out of the pool and stood to squeeze water out of the braid she had put into her hair. She had asked Joe to get them some drinks from the cafeteria but as she saw Jeffrey approaching her, she wasn't sure that had been a good idea. Jeffrey's eyes definitely weren't on her face. She turned away and headed toward a lounge chair and her towel. Hopefully Jeffrey would get the message. But when she heard steps behind her, she knew he hadn't. She grabbed her towel and put it around her shoulders and spun to face Jeffrey. "What do you want?"

"I appreciate this whole seduction thing you've got going on here, but let me give you a tip: I'm a sure thing."**

"Seriously, enough with the movie lines. Just what do I have to say to get you to go away?"

"Okay enough with the movie lines. For now. Tell me about yourself. Where are you from? What are you majoring in? What do you want to do?"

Vanessa sat down. "Well, that's a change."

He shrugged and gave her a big smile. "You wanted something more than movie lines. Tell me about yourself."

She gave him the basic info that the Network had provided her with adding, "So I'm not sure what I'm majoring in, but I do like computers."

Jeffrey smiled. "So all this outdoor stuff isn't really your thing?"

"It's okay, but I am usually more of an indoor girl."

"Then how did you hook up with the poster child for Cabella's?"

Vanessa's eyes moved to the door where Joe was coming back in carrying two sodas. "He makes me feel safe. He's caring and he's a lot of fun." She turned to see Jeffrey also looking at Joe.

"Fun?" he asked.

"Well, when you're hitting on his girlfriend, he's not going to seem like much fun." Joe was almost to them when she added, "I'd trust him with my life."

"Here you go, Ashton," Joe said as he handed her a Coke. "Hey, Jeffrey. Why aren't you in the pool?"

"Just talking to Ashton. Getting to know her a little more."

"Well, I'm sure it's enough."

Jeffrey laughed and moved away.

"You can't let him get to you, Paul," Vanessa said as she popped open the can. "He really was just talking to me." She took a sip and then added, "Well, after another corny movie line." She saw Joe's continued frown and hoped he'd be able to let things go.

.**********.

That night back in the dorm…

"So what is it with you and my girlfriend?"

Jeffrey smirked as grabbed his shower things. "I didn't know your girlfriend and I had anything going on. Not that I'd mind if we did."

"Just lay off, would you?" Joe asked as he leaned against the door.

"Nothing wrong in talking to a pretty girl." Jeffrey turned and faced Joe with his things for the shower.

"The pretty girl wants you to stop." Joe couldn't hide the irritation in his voice.

"Listen, when she really wants me to go away, I will. Now if you don't mind, I need to get to the shower." The smirk on Jeffrey's face was driving Joe crazy.

Joe stepped to the side and let Jeffrey out. He looked at the closed door. He really didn't have any cause to be jealous. He knew Vanessa loved him. It was just super irritating that he had to put up with this guy just because he was an assignment. Thinking ahead to tomorrow, he was definitely looking forward to the self-defense instruction in the morning. They would practice on the instructors and each other and he definitely wanted to get paired with Jeffrey.

.**********.

"Can I ask you something about Jeffrey?" Vanessa asked as she sat on the end of Brianna's bunk that evening.

Brianna put the book she was reading to the side and pushed herself up so she was sitting cross-legged on the bed. "Sure what is it?"

Vanessa thought for a moment and then just blurted out, "Why is he such an ass sometimes?"

Brianna tilted her head back and laughed. "Yeah, he can be."

"Can be?" Vanessa asked incredulously. "I think 'is' is the more appropriate verb."

Brianna was still smiling but it faded slightly. "He has his reasons."

When she didn't continue, Vanessa probed, "Care to tell me why he's flirting outrageously with me when my boyfriend is around? We'll be gone in just days and I've basically told him I'm not cheating on Paul. But he continues and I want to know why."

Brianna picked up her book and began straightening out a fold in the back cover. "Two years ago, Jeffrey was in a serious relationship… well at least it was serious to him. An acquaintance of ours, Kelly… well, we weren't really friends, but we'd all hang with the same crowd…. Well, he'd flirt with Jeffrey's girlfriend Shanni. Some of the things he said were outrageous but it was always done with a smile and a laugh and Jeff didn't think anything of it. At least not until he found out that Shanni was cheating on him with Kelly."

Vanessa frowned. "So why is he doing basically the same thing now?"

Brianna put the book back to the side. "He doesn't believe that girls can be faithful and he's out to prove it. I'm sorry to say he's broken up several couples."

"That's awful!" Vanessa said angrily.

Brianna shrugged. "He says that if a guy puts up with another guy hitting on his girl then he deserves it. Jeffrey says he should have stopped Kelly but then he also blames Shanni for falling for the guy's schmooze routine."

Vanessa shook her head. "Well, I'm not falling for it and it's not going to take much more for Paul to plant a fist on Jeffrey's face."

Smiling, Brianna said, "I hope he does." At Vanessa's surprised look, she continued. "I don't want my brother to be like this; he's alone and distrustful. Hopefully he'll see that you and Paul have something. You won't cheat and Paul won't put up with his crap."

"Well, tomorrow is part of our self-defense training and I'm afraid he'll get a chance to see that Paul is tired of his crap."

Brianna just laughed as Vanessa climbed up to her bunk. _Maybe a good knockdown is what he needs._

.**********.

"Yes, sir. You wanted to see me?" Frank asked Clary as he stepped into the man's camp office.

"Close the door, son," Clary said as he stood from behind his desk and moved to take a chair in front it. He motioned to the other one when Frank seated himself. "How do you think things went today?"

"They went well. None of us seemed to have any problems today with the actual instruction and the group got a chance to get the lay of the land."

"Crandell said Paul seemed a little distracted a couple of times on the hike. You think he's okay?"

Frank look at Clary closely. "Yes sir." Frank thought back to high school football practices and the camping trip they'd been on before Marilyn showed up. "Sometimes something triggers a feeling or memory for him but he moves past it quickly. It's been less than three years since all this started. I think he'd be allowed a little slack as long as it doesn't interfere with things."

"Agreed," Clary said.

Frank looked more closely at Clary. "You already knew his background and yet you still agreed. Obviously there wasn't strong concern by the higher ups." He paused. "Is there more going on here?"

"Honestly you ARE needed here for the reason you were assigned."

"But…"

Clary thought a moment and then said, "The higher ups wanted to see if you are material for our camp."

Frank hated having to dance around the real words he wanted to say, but even though they were in a Network camp there could be bugs and they couldn't afford to say too much. "We're not interested."

Clary smiled. "Didn't say we'd make you change. Just want to know what you can do." Clary stood and moved back to his desk. "Tomorrow morning, group four will have self-defense and you'll be assigned to that group. At the end, I'd like for you to spar with James, one of the instructors."

"Part of the evaluation?" Frank asked.

"Like I said, just looking at what you can do."

"Understood." Frank rose to leave. He wondered just how many evaluations the Network planned to do. Not that it mattered what they did or what they decided as he didn't plan on leaving ORT. But Joe- No, his brother wouldn't leave. Frank closed the door behind him and headed to his room.

* * *

 ****"I appreciate this whole seduction thing you've got going on here, but let me give you a tip: I'm a sure thing." Pretty Woman (1990)**


	6. Chapter 6

**Disclaimer:** I do not own the Hardy Boys or any of the book characters.

 **Thank you:** Wendylouwho10 as always for being my sounding board and flow checker. ;-D Typos and grammar errors are mine.

 **Rating/Setting:** Rating is T. Continues my "Taken" series. This one comes after "Debts." Setting started out as kinda blue spine with a touch of Casefiles and is now very AU. F/20 J/18.

 **Author's Notes:** Thanks to everyone who is reading! And an extra thanks to those reviewing! To those who don't review... if you have PM enabled I always send a thank you and sometimes answers questions/respond to comments you make. ;-) Sometimes you get to find out something a little ahead of time. ;-)

Now many have been wondering just how Joe will/would respond if he got to take a Jeffrey... this chapter has your answer.

* * *

 **Chapter Six**

Vanessa kept a wary eye on Jeffrey as they waited for their morning training session to start. They were in a gym that was about the size of a basketball court. There were some rollaway backboards and nets in the corner. Right now the facility was set up with padded mats on the floor and a table off to the side that had some padded gloves and headgear. She turned back around to locate Jeffrey when she jumped at the voice in her ear.

"I don't bite, you… unless it's called for,"** he whispered in her ear. As she spun around with a gasp, he said, "It's from a 60s movie."

"Listen, Jeffrey. This has really got to stop." Her tone was a combination of exasperation and irritation. She didn't want to repeat anything that Brianna had said and she hadn't told Joe. There really hadn't been a good opportunity to.

"Is there a problem?" Joe asked coming up behind her.

"No. No there's not, Paul." Vanessa could see the look in both the boys' eyes and knew they were just brewing for a reason to take a swing. Joe because he was getting tired of Jeffrey's flirting and Jeffrey because he wanted to push Joe to the edge. The thing was, they were on a mission. "Paul." Joe didn't look at her but continued to stare down Jeffrey. "Paul." She tugged on his shirt. "Think."

Joe turned his gaze to her and then it was almost like she could see the switch flip in his brain. He let out a sigh as he took her arm. "Go find another couple to hassle, Jeffrey."

Vanessa held tightly to his arm as they walked away. "Don't hurt him if you get paired up, okay?"

Joe laughed. "I'll try not to."

.**********.

"I'll be your instructor today along with Case," Edward Clary said to the group. "This session will show you several techniques to use to defend yourself, incapacitate your attackers, and hopefully provide you the needed time to escape should the need ever arise." He clapped Frank on the back and the two donned their gear and headed to the mat.

After watching the demonstrations by Clary and Frank, the group split in two. Joe wasn't sure if he was thankful that Jeffrey was in Vanessa's group or not. It didn't take long for him to decide he absolutely hated it.

"Hey, are you paying attention, Paul?" Frank addressed him with a touch of irritation.

Joe looked to Frank and then quickly back to Vanessa who was currently paired with Jeffrey. Clary was having Jeffrey put Vanessa into a hold from behind and Jeffrey seemed to be enjoying it way too much. He looked back to Frank. "Yeah, I'm listening." His eyes darted back to Vanessa and then returned to Frank _. It's a mission. She doesn't care anything about him._ He calmed down. _It's just annoying as hell._ As he paired up with CJ he noticed that Vanessa was now paired with Brianna and breathed a sigh of relief which got him a sucker punch from CJ.

"You need to have your mind here and now, Paul," Frank said with some exasperation.

Joe immediately moved around CJ and had him down on the mat. He stood and helped CJ up but looked at Frank. "Don't worry; my mind is here and now." He paused and smiled. " _Chase_."

Frank frowned as Joe continued to smile.

.**********.

At the end of the session, Clary said, "Now that you've all had an introductory training into self-defense, let's see how you do." He turned to Frank and asked, "Who would you say was your best student?" He paused and quickly added, "Maybe not your best student because a newbie might be your best student because of wanting to learn. So let me change that to _who_ do you think is your most accomplished student?"

Joe saw Frank pause and look at him. What was it in his eyes? _Concern_?

"I'd have to say that Paul was the most knowledgeable." Frank answered and then looked back to Clary.

"I'd say that Jeffrey was mine." Clary looked to both boys, I'd like to see how you do against each other.

Joe looked quickly to Frank and then back to Clary. "You want us to fight?"

Clary let out a chuckle. "No. No. No. I want Mr. Zane to try to subdue you from behind as an assailant might and then you'll do the same. To make sure no one gets any unwanted injuries, I want you to put on the gloves and head protection over there on the table.

"Sure, sounds like fun," Jeffrey said as he headed to the table. He glanced over at Joe. "Time for some more wax on, wax off."**

Joe gave Frank a quizzical look as he joined Jeffrey and donned the required gear.

Once both boys were ready, Clary said, "Okay, Mr. Conroy. If you would walk to the middle of the mat. Mr. Zane, as he's walking, I want you to attempt to restrain him. I understand that the fact Mr. Conroy knows you're coming will affect the outcome. Do you have any questions?" Both shook their heads no. "Then start walking, Paul."

As Joe walked away, he heard one last movie quote from Jeffrey: "You've got to ask yourself one question: 'Do I feel lucky?' Well do ya punk?"**

Joe started toward the center of the mat _. At the moment? No. I don't feel lucky. Seriously, I was trying_ _ **not**_ _to get into a fight with him. Now I have to show him that I'm better._ _If I don't and there's an attack he won't believe I can help him._ Joe didn't have time for further thought as Jeffrey came up behind him and grabbed him around the chest. Joe managed to get his arms up before Jeffrey grabbed him. Bracing his legs somewhat apart, Joe leaned down quickly pulling Jeffrey over his back as he executed a forward roll. He grabbed Jeffrey's ankle from between his own legs as he flipped forward and quickly positioned himself so that Jeffrey was in a knee bar. The position had Jeffrey crying out in just a moment and Joe released him and stood up. He noted that Jeffrey was looking at him with an expression he hadn't seen before. It was respect.

"Very impressive," Clary said. "Obviously you've had some training."

Joe looked around and saw that everyone was staring at him and not saying anything. Maybe he had been a little too good. "Um, yeah. I used to wrestle in high school." It wasn't in his cover but then no one here would know differently.

"You must have been good," Jeffrey said as he straightened his clothing.

Joe shrugged.

Clary then set up a situation where Joe approached Jeffrey from the front in an attempt to subdue him. Joe allowed Jeffrey to get in a good punch and to use one of the methods taught to escape Joe's attempt to restrain him. Clary congratulated them both and then surprised everyone but Frank with his next statement.

"To show you some real fighting techniques, I've asked Case to do a demonstration with Mr. Peaks."

Joe and Jeffrey sat down with Vanessa and Brianna as Frank and Peaks took off their shirts and shoes.

As Frank's shirt came off, Brianna whispered to Vanessa, "Oooo, I think I'm going to like this."

Joe heard Vanessa laugh but then his attention was drawn back to the two men in front of him. They had started circling each other. Both did a series of kicks hitting the other on the calf or thigh and then Frank did a roundhouse kick that caught Peaks in a glancing blow on his headgear. Frank pushed forward but Peaks recovered and grabbed him and spun him around. There was a flurry of kicks, numerous punches and attempts for takedowns (on Peaks part) but none were successful. After five minutes, Clary called a halt declaring it was a draw.

Joe watched his brother breathing heavily from his exertion and wondered just what Clary was playing at. The group congratulated Frank and Peaks and then exited the facility. Joe gave his brother a last questioning glance and then followed the group out.

.*********.

Frank pulled on his shirt and sat down to put on his shoes and socks. He could see Clary walking over from the corner of his eye. He finished tying his knot and then sat back in the chair as Clary sat beside him. "And how did the evaluation go?" Frank asked somewhat sarcastically.

"I'd say that what we were told about you both is accurate. Peaks wasn't pulling any punches and he told me you are top notch."

"Thanks for the endorsement," Frank stood and then paused as Clary continued.

"Your brother was good too. He showed what he was really capable of that first time. In the second, he let Jeffrey get those hits in."

Frank crossed his arms and looked back. "He had to in order to maintain his cover."

"Exactly," Clary said with a smile. "I purposefully pushed his buttons with Jeffrey and Ashton and he still maintained his cool." When Frank didn't answer, Clary continued to smile and said, "Not all teenagers can do that: separate personal from professional."

"Is that all, sir?"

"Just one more thing, Case. We're with you. Not against you. We're just checking you out. No harm intended."

Frank nodded as he dropped his arms. "Understood." _Understood, but still not so certain._

* * *

 ****"I don't bite, you… unless it's called for." Charade (1963)  
**"Wax on, was off." Karate Kid (1984)**  
 ****"You've got to ask yourself one question: 'Do I feel lucky?' Well do ya punk?" (Dirty Harry)**


	7. Chapter 7

**Disclaimer:** I do not own the Hardy Boys or any of the book characters.

 **Thank you:** Wendylouwho10 as always for being my sounding board and flow checker. ;-D Typos and grammar errors are mine.

 **Rating/Setting:** Rating is T. Continues my "Taken" series. This one comes after "Debts." Setting started out as kinda blue spine with a touch of Casefiles and is now very AU. F/20 J/18.

 **Author's Notes:** I admit that I have had a bit of a dry spell with writing on the next story because I've been on a reading binge and also had a very nasty cold last week which didn't help anything. I can say that I've now finished chapter twelve of the new story. It will be my longest story since "For Who You Are" although not as long as that one. Thank you to those of you reviewing! I found that quite a few of you are not sure about Clary. Only time will tell! And you know how people crop up in future stories... Sorry that this one is a short chapter.

Oh, and Cherylann assured me that it was okay to post this chapter tonight instead of in the morning. ;-) Next chapter will be Tuesday!

* * *

 **Chapter Seven**

Tuesday afternoon found group four with Larson Marino. He was the oldest instructor they had had so far. Joe estimated that the man had to be in his late fifties. His gray hair made it difficult to determine what color it may have been when he was younger, but it was cropped extremely close. His weathered tan skin wrinkled greatly at the corners of his eyes indicating that he had spent a lot of time outdoors. His demeanor came across as much more friendly than many of the other instructors, joking with the campers on the way to the area where they would be doing their survival shelter building.

When they had reached a clearing, Marino gathered the group together in front of a long table that had been set up. It had a cloth over it and even though he wasn't sure exactly what was going on, Joe had a bad feeling that only intensified when Marino took the cloth off and started speaking.

"I know that we're going to be building a shelter and not everything on this table would be beneficial in shelter building, but we're about survival here at Camp Perseverance." Marino's eyes went directly to Joe. "We're here to find out what you know and how you'll react." His attention turned back over the group and he gave them a friendly grin. "Let's see what you can come up with and see if your reasoning is sound."

Joe felt Vanessa move closer to his side and felt her hand slip into his and he stared at Marino and dreaded what might come out of his mouth next.

"So, if you had to select from these items- let's say I told you to pick four items, what would you pick?"

"Asshole," Vanessa whispered next to Joe.

He squeezed her hand.

"Who wants to go first?" Marino scanned the group. "Mr. Zane? Want a go at it?"

"Sure," Jeffrey said as he stepped forward. "To be honest, I'll just be guessing."

"That's fine, Jeffrey. Just do your best. You're not expected to know what to pick, that's why you're here," Marino said easily.

Jeffrey glanced over his shoulder. "I bet Paul already knows what would be best."

For once, Joe didn't hear any sarcasm in Jeffrey's voice.

"Well, how about we have the two of you work together on this," Marino said motioning Joe forward.

"Sure," Joe said. "My dad taught me a few things while we were hunting and camping." He looked at the table and the variety of things there. The rest of the group moved in closer to see what they selected. Joe looked up at Marino. "You said four items?"

"That's correct."

Joe looked over at Jeffrey. "What would you pick?"

Jeffrey looked at the items on the table. "Would it be wrong to pick one of the green tarps? Am I being too obvious?"

"Nope. The tarp is good. But there's two. One is better than the other."

Jeffrey picked up the two and examined them. "The only difference seems to be that this one has grommets along the edge."

Joe took the one with the grommets. "We'll take this one. The grommets will allow us to tie the tarp to trees or down to something on the ground."

"One," Marino said and Joe felt his chest contract with memory. Vanessa was correct in calling the guy an ass. He knew Joe's background and was purposefully doing this.

"And if you said we'd be tying it down, then I'm thinking this cord would be helpful," Jeffrey said, unaware of Joe's tension.

Joe looked at Jeffrey and said, "Yep, we'd want that paracord. There's not a lot, but I think there'd be enough to tie off at least a couple of corners."

"Two."

"Hatchet?" Jeffrey asked.

"Yes," Joe replied. His tone giving away none of his inner anger. It would be good to have for a lot of reasons.

"That makes three. What do you want to select for your last item?" Marino asked.

Joe looked at him. "There's nothing here related to water. Are we not worried about that?"

"Not in this scenario. Ms. Crandell already went over some things related to water with you all," he said as he looked over the group.

"Then there's no doubt for me. We'll take the duct tape," Joe said as he picked up the large roll.

"That makes four. Good choices boys. That's what I would have selected from these items when looking at shelter building and overall survival." As the boys stepped back, he looked at Joe and asked, "Is there anything else that you would want for survival?"

Joe returned the look. "If we were looking for rescue, I'd want something like a mirror or a reflective surface."

"Excellent," Marino said with a smile.

"Why?" Brianna asked.

"To signal planes that might be looking for you," Vanessa said.

"Excellent, Ms. Timmer. You and Mr. Conroy make quite the pair," Marino responded.

"Yeah, we are," Vanessa responded somewhat angrily.

Joe looked at her and saw that she was probably more upset than he was and grabbed her hand. "It's okay," he whispered.

"No it's not," she whispered back angrily.

Marino had started talking again about using the selected four items to build their shelters. Joe only listened with half an ear as he thought over what the Network agent had said. _Why do they want to evaluate Frank and I so much? We've already told them we're not leaving ORT._ And then it came to him. Just like now, they could be loaned out or asked to assist and the Network wanted to know just what they were capable of. Joe didn't like their methods, but at least he understood them.

.**********.

On the way back to the camp after they completed their shelter building assignment, Vanessa made sure they were at the last ones in the group on the trail. Joe could tell that she was still ticked.

"The nerve of him!" Vanessa whispered angrily and Joe had to smile at her indignation on his behalf.

"They're just evaluating me," he whispered back.

Vanessa tugged his arm and said, "And it doesn't bother you?"

Joe looked to the front of the line at Marino. "I didn't say that. It bothers me, but I understand why they're doing it."

"They can just read your file if they want that info," she said again but this time without as much anger.

"They have read it and that's why they're doing this. If they have cause to ask for my help in the future they need to know if I can do the things in the report."

"Marino throwing those words at you today wasn't necessary," Vanessa replied. This time the anger was back.

Joe stopped their movement and took her arms. "Van, I've been kidnapped and tortured. I've been on anti-depressants and am still seeing a therapist; they have reason to test my limits."

"Well, I don't have to like it," she whispered with a hint of tears in her eyes.

Joe pulled her into a hug but it didn't last long as Jeffrey called back. "You're slowing us down, love birds! Pick up the pace!" Releasing her, his hand found hers and they walked together to join the group.


	8. Chapter 8

**Disclaimer:** I do not own the Hardy Boys or any of the book characters.

 **Thank you:** Wendylouwho10 as always for being my sounding board and flow checker. ;-D Typos and grammar errors are mine.

 **Rating/Setting:** Rating is T. Continues my "Taken" series. This one comes after "Debts." Setting started out as kinda blue spine with a touch of Casefiles and is now very AU. F/20 J/18.

 **Author's Notes:** Long day at work. Thanks to those of you reading and especially to those of you reviewing! :)

* * *

 **Chapter Eight**

It was around midnight that the phone in Joe and Jeffrey's room rang. Jeffrey had just turned off his light to sleep while Joe was playing solitaire on his bed. Joe heard Jeffrey sit up and mumble something but his concentration was on the phone as he rushed to get it. "Hello."

"Evac," was the solitary word that was said.

Joe spun around and grabbed the pair of jeans that Jeffrey had left on the floor and tossed them up to him while he grabbed his own jeans. "Get dressed, Jeffrey, we've got to go."

Jeffrey sat up on his bed and picked up the jeans but made no move to put them on; his expression perplexed.

"Now," Joe said a little more forcefully and he quickly put on his hiking shoes and looked for Jeffrey's.

"What for? It's the middle of the night and that wasn't the fire drill."

Joe was glad that Jeffrey was wide awake but he didn't have a lot of time for questions at this point. "I don't have time to explain right now but you and Brianna are in danger and we need to leave."

"Danger?" Jeffrey asked as he began pulling on his jeans. "What reason would we be in danger?"

"It has to do with your dad," Joe said as he grabbed Jeffrey's hiking shoes.

Jeffrey jumped down from his bunk but made no attempt to take the shoes.

Time was ticking and Jeffrey was causing an unnecessary delay. Holding out the shoes, Joe spoke in the only language he thought Jeffrey would understand, "Come with me if you want to live."** And then almost in a cinematic dramatic effect, the light next to Joe's bed went out and the emergency lighting above the door came on.

Jeffrey's eyes widened as he quickly took the shoes and put them on as Joe shrugged into his coat and opened the door to look into the darkened hallway. He looked back and saw that Jeffrey had his coat on so he opened the door and moved silently into the hallway. Just a few steps down was a locked case bolted to the wall. Joe quickly opened the combination lock and took out the single pistol and extra ammo clip.

"You're freaking serious!" Jeffrey said in a loud tone.

Joe turned and glared at him. "Deadly serious, so lower your voice," he replied. "We've got to head to the trail going up to the mountain top. Ashton and Brianna will be meeting us there." Joe turned and began moving to the back exit of the dorm.

"What about everyone else?" Jeffrey asked in a softer voice.

"The camp staff will take care of them and if we can get you away, then they should all be safe." Joe scanned the area in front of him and saw nothing but the security lighting of the camp. However, they both heard the gunshot that came from the area where the staff lodged. Joe's heart jumped into his throat. _Frank!_ He stared in that direction for just a moment more and then he motioned Jeffrey in the direction they needed to go.

.**********.

 _Before Joe got the phone call…_

Frank awakened to the sound of his door opening. His hand reached into the space between the mattress and the bed frame to curl around the pistol hidden there.

"Frank!" a voice said softly.

Frank relaxed but pulled the gun from its hiding space and sat up. "Ready." The person in his doorway was Peaks.

"Clary's making the call to your brother and Vanessa. We've got to secure the campers in the panic rooms located under the dorms," Peaks said as he moved back into the hallway scanning for any trouble.

Frank was with him quickly as he pulled on his jacket and grabbed extra ammo. "Panic rooms? I was told we'd be using the cafeteria that has concrete walls."

"That's what we told you. Can't be giving out all our secrets. The panic rooms will be the safest. Crandell is securing the girls and we need to secure the boys."

Peaks was moving quickly and was almost out of the building when Frank grabbed his arm stopping his forward movement. "Why aren't Joe and Vanessa taking the Zanes to the panic rooms if they're so safe?"

Peaks glared at him for a moment and then quickly said, "I'll tell you when we get there. We don't have time for explanations right now."

Frank nodded as a shot rang out accompanied by the barking of a dog that stopped quickly. Both men scanned the area and seeing nothing, ran toward the boys' dorm. When they entered, Frank set the locks and turned to face the corridor. Several doors had opened and boys were venturing out. Most of them looked groggy and all were dressed in pajamas. Peaks was going down the hall and opening doors of rooms and calling everyone into the hall.

Several boys came up to Frank asking what was going on when another shot sounded from outside. All conversation stopped as Peaks bellowed: "Enough!" He scanned the group and realized what Frank did. They were all there. "Follow me. Case, bring up the rear." His tone brooked no opposition and the authority in his voice had all the boys fall silent and into step behind him as he made his way into the bathroom.

Frank watched with interest as Peaks opened the custodial closet and placed the mops and brooms to the side. In just a few moments, Peaks pushed on the back wall and it opened revealing a stairwell going down. Gesturing the boys into the dimly lit stairwell, Peaks met Frank's eyes.

Once they were all on the way down, Peaks said, "When you get to the bottom, hit the lock button. Nothing will get to you. There's food, water, and a bathroom."

"But aren't you coming?" Frank asked, not liking this at all.

"No. I've got to find out about those shots."

Frank shook his head. "No. You go down. You'll be able to calm them better than I. I'm going back out there." When Peaks went to argue. "My brother's out there and me being in a completely safe panic room just isn't going to sit well with me."

Peaks nodded and entered through the false wall. When it closed, Frank propped the brooms and mops back against the wall. No signs remained that anyone had entered. He was just ready to exit the bathroom when he heard someone break through the main door. He leaned against the door leading back into the corridor and listened. Nothing. He moved so that the door wouldn't hit him and raised his gun up in a two handed grip so with his elbows bent and the gun pointed up. Then he heard the sounds of the closed bedroom doors being thrown open.

Frank's breathing slowed even as his heartbeat quickened as he waited.

.**********.

Joe could just make out Vanessa and Brianna ahead of them in the dim lighting of the nighttime campus. Obviously Brianna had been easier to convince that this was a serious situation. His eyes scanned from side to side as they ran toward the edge of the woods and even though there were sounds that indicated the camp was waking up, there wasn't any movement. Joe and Jeffrey arrived only moments after the girls had reached the hidden storage container just off the trail. Vanessa was already working the combination lock on the crate.

"Oh, Jeffrey!" Brianna said as she flung herself into his arms. "What's going on!? Ashton said that we were in danger and that we had to get out! There was a shot! What's going on!?" she asked again in a frantic whisper.

Jeffrey held her and looked to Joe who was scanning the camp behind them. "Just what is going on, Paul? Why are we in danger and why are people _shooting_ here!?"

Joe turned quickly back to them and pulled them both down so that they were kneeling. Vanessa opened the crate soundlessly on well-oiled hinges and Joe turned his attention to the items inside. Pulling out a backpack, he handed it wordlessly to Vanessa. It contained only the most basic of items: a couple of bottles of water and bandages. The most important items were a satellite phone and extra clips of ammo for their pistols. As he reached in for his night vision goggles, rifle and pack, Vanessa started speaking.

"The simple version is: your dad works for the government and the people out there are mad at him and they are attempting to get at him by either capturing or killing you both." Vanessa pulled night vision goggles over her head and then donned a black toboggan. Grabbing Brianna's hand, she stated, "We've got to get to the top of the bald mountain. There are people coming to evacuate us." She started pulling the girl forward as Joe adjusted the rifle on his back.

"Why didn't we stay-"

Vanessa cut Brianna off. "We're following the plan given to us." She tugged Brianna onto the path with a concerned glance back toward the camp. "We've got to go. Now! I'll answer questions as I can on our way up. We're going first, then Jeffrey." She looked back to Joe.

"And I'm protecting the rear," he said as he pushed Jeffrey forward and then fixed his cap over his hair and goggles. "Get moving. They'll eventually come looking this way for us and we need to be out of here."

Jeffrey looked once behind Joe and turned to follow the girls.

* * *

 ****"Come with me if you want to live." Terminator (1984)**


	9. Chapter 9

**Disclaimer:** I do not own the Hardy Boys or any of the book characters.

 **Thank you:** Wendylouwho10 as always for being my sounding board and flow checker. ;-D Typos and grammar errors are mine.

 **Rating/Setting:** Rating is T. Continues my "Taken" series. This one comes after "Debts." Setting started out as kinda blue spine with a touch of Casefiles and is now very AU. F/20 J/18.

 **Author's Notes:** So a guest reviewer was asking about the boys ages if they are a year apart. In my stories they are 1 year and 3 months apart. So for a VERY brief time period between December 14 (Frank) and March 16 (Joe) Frank is 2 years older. As soon as March 16 rolls around, they are back to 1 year apart. ;-) This story takes place around the first week in March. In my last story, I think I had the ages wrong for a short bit and then I tried to correct them. In the next story, they are 1 year apart. Hope that helps explain the ages. ;-) (And yes, I had the b/days and ages figured out from Taken to now. :-)

* * *

 **Chapter Nine**

Frank crouched in the low shrubs outside the emergency exit to the boys' dorm their prickly leaves scratching at his clothing. The scuffle in the bathroom had been thankfully short. Frank had used not his gun, but his fighting skills to take out the intruder. When the man had seen Frank's gun pointed at him, he yelled something in a foreign language and then foamed at the mouth and died. The scene was burned into Frank's mind. Knowing there was nothing he could do, he left the body and exited the building seeing no other intruders.

As his eyes adjusted to dim lighting of the campus as well as that given off by the half moon, he realized he had never gotten an answer from Peaks. But there was no going back to ask. He had one hand placed on the ground for balance while his other hand held his pistol, ready to use if needed. There was no other movement that he could see. Joe and the others had to be on the trail somewhere but where were those that were attempting to capture or kill them? _Where are you? I know there has to be more than one of you…._

 _There!_ Movement along the vehicle shelter drew his attention. "NO!" he whispered more loudly than he wished. In the following moment, he heard a dog bark as one of the ATVs started up. Frank glanced around again and seeing no movement ran toward the shelter. He couldn't afford stealth right now, not if he wanted to help his brother and Vanessa.

The sounds of the dog and the ATV echoed down the mountain. But as long as the ATV was moving, his brother was safe. Using his free hand, he reached into his coat pocket and pulled out his set of camp keys. Stopping at the first ATV available, he bent down and unlocked the heavy duty lock that held the equally heavy security chain around the wheel. He spared a glance to the cut cable and the bolt cutters next to them. _Didn't realize that was standard equipment for mercenaries._ Frank quickly hotwired the vehicle and was thankful now that Joe always wanted to race him when they practiced. Tucking his gun into the back of his waistband, he spun out onto the trail and headed up the mountain.

.**********.

Fifteen minutes into their hike up the mountain, Joe heard two sounds that still had the power to elicit strong memories. He stopped and peered over the side of the mountain with his night vision but couldn't see anything yet… but he could hear them. Looking up at the group as they continued their upward hike, he called out, "Ashton!"

Vanessa stopped immediately as Joe moved toward her but her attention was now over the side of the mountain. "They found us." Her eyes were obscured by her goggles but they turned toward his face. "What do you want to do?"

Brianna and Jeffrey moved in to hear as they too looked down the mountain. "Oh, my god! What are we going to do?!" Brianna's voice was taking on a note of hysteria and Jeffrey pulled her into him in a calming manner.

"They've got us this far, Bri, we've got to trust them," Jeffrey responded to her.

Joe scanned up the mountain to the next switchback. The trail moved gradually upward for about two tenths of a mile and then did a hairpin turn to go up. That next section was about three tenths long. "We need to get to the next switchback." He started walking and Vanessa fell into step along with the Zanes. "I'll wait at that switchback for them to come up. I should be able to make sure they don't follow you from that vantage point." When Vanessa didn't make a comment, he added softly, "I'll be alright. This is what I've trained for."

She didn't answer but moved back up to take her place at the head of the group and picked up the pace. Jeffrey kept his arm around his sister and made sure she kept up. Joe followed with a gaze that scanned below and behind. He paused for just a moment as the sound of another ATV came to his ears. _Glad I've got that extra ammo; looks like I'm going to need it._

The sounds of the dog and the ATV were drawing closer as the group made it to the next switchback. Joe pulled his pack off and dropped it near a flat rock that was in the bend of the turn. He didn't look at them when they slowed. "Go!" he called to them as he readied his rifle.

"I'll be waiting for you at the top," Vanessa called back to him. The sounds of an approaching helicopter could be heard. "Let's go! That's our ride out!"

Joe laid on the rock and looked down the trail. The spot was a good one allowing him to look at about half a mile of trail though there were many spots where tree trunks and evergreens swallowed the trail. While the spot was good, the shooting would be difficult. Joe pulled the pack over and retrieved the night vision clip on scope. It wasn't the optimal thing to use but he didn't have time to switch it out. He dropped his headgear into the pack and got into a comfortable position and waited.

It seemed like milliseconds and hours all at the same time but in reality it was only a minute before he sighted his first glimpse of his pursuers: a dog and two people on an ATV. The second ATV he heard was not in sight. Joe looked at their path and then trained his gun along their path in line with the level of the tire. He needed that ATV out of commission.

 _Deep breath. Let it out and squeeze_. The recoil of the rifle into his shoulder was minimal and he didn't even notice it as he kept his gun trained on the scene below. The ATV swerved out of control; the person on the back jumped off. The driver managed to get off before the vehicle tumbled down the side of the mountain to land against a tree. Then suddenly they were gone and out of his line of sight as they hugged the mountain. At the sound of the second ATV, Joe trained his gun onto the trail again and prepared to take out the second vehicle.

.**********.

Frank stopped abruptly at the sound of the rifle shot sending up a small cloud of dust around him. His eyes searched the trail above and then he saw the other ATV at the edge of trail just as it careened off and hit a tree. There was no rider. His eyes went back to the spot where the vehicle went off but he could see no one. Frank made a decision and gunned the engine and headed up.

The enemy probably knew he wasn't one of them and Joe didn't know it WAS him. Definitely a dangerous situation with his trained sniper brother not expecting him and an unknown who was probably ready to kill him. _Maybe not my smartest move,_ he thought as he went up the next switchback.

.**********.

Glimpses of the second ATV were now appearing through the trees and Joe was lining up his tire shot when he heard something. He brought his gun around just in time to get it in between himself and the snarling German Shepherd that was snapping at him. There was no chance to get the space needed to shoot the animal and if the dog was here chances were so was its owner. He started calling out stop commands in various foreign languages. They were something he'd learned after his experience with Dominic Laird but none of them seemed to work. Then he heard a voice.

"You should have learned Hindi," the woman said in an accented voice.

Joe could see her now on the other side of the dog. _If I roll over I present my back then I'm dead from a bullet. One choice_. Joe gritted his teeth. _This is going to hurt like hell._ He let go of the rifle with his right hand and cried out in pain as the dog pushed the rifle to the side and latched onto his left forearm. Reaching quickly around to the back of his waistband he put his right hand around the pistol that was there. The dog began to thrash and Joe knew that he would be in for serious damage if the dog continued. As he pulled his gun free he used all his strength to pull the dog directly over him. It pained him to do it, but the situation was life or death. Taking note of his antagonist he shot through the canine and into the woman.

Joe threw the dog to the side and aimed at the woman who grabbed at her shoulder and attempted to aim her own weapon. "Put the weapon down or I'll shoot!"

Before he could think she yelled out, "Main mar gaya! Mishan ko poora karen _!"***_

Then Joe watched in horror as she contorted her mouth and convulsed as white foam bubbled from her mouth as she fell to the ground. Joe stood and carefully walked over to her. He looked at her in stunned silence and then turned back toward his pack and rifle. He had no idea what she had said but he didn't think it was anything to help her and there were probably two more assailants below and he had no idea where they were. As he crawled over to the rock at the switchback, he scanned below and was shocked to see two figures fighting. Joe looked through his scope and said, "Crap!"

.**********.

Frank was slowing down ever so slightly to take the tight turn of the switchback when someone launched themselves from the darkness of the mountainside rock. The ATV continued off the side of the mountain as Frank and his attacker rolled to the edge of the trail. Unfortunately for Frank, he ended up on the bottom and his attacker got in several good punches. Finally able to get in a good punch himself, Frank rolled his attacker over. _Why didn't he just shoot me?_ He thought as he reached back to his waistband and realized his own gun had become dislodged. _Same must have happened to him._ He stole a glance to the side and saw his lost gun but the glance cost him as the figure in black kicked him off. Moving quickly to stand, Frank and the dark figure circled each other. Each looking for a chance to grab the weapon and knowing what the result would be.

A gunshot rang out from above followed shortly by words that Frank didn't understand but his attacker did as the figure attacked with renewed vigor. _What did they say? What happened to Joe? What was that shot?_ Frank focused. If his brother was dead, then he would complete the mission for him. The two then began a series of strikes and kicks that were all meant to disable and each knew that only one would walk away from this.

.**********.

Joe could hear the sounds of people coming down the mountain. The Network had arrived but they wouldn't be in time to save Frank. He worked to follow Frank's attacker but the two of them were so close and trading positions. A shot now could kill Frank and that was something he wasn't ready to chance.

.**********.

The battle was even and Frank was determined to outlast his opponent and he probably would have but an exposed root was his literal downfall. His arms wind-milled and he regained his balance only to find his own gun pointed at him. The distance was too far for him to cover. _I'll be dead before I reach him. But then I'm dead anyway._

Before he could rush the dark figure, the crack of the rifle was heard and the assailant staggered forward slightly and grabbed at his shoulder with his free hand but the gun didn't lower. Frank began his rush but a second shot dropped the figure to the ground. Frank stood there for a moment. Stunned. As he looked at the dead body in front of him, Joe's words from the day they picked up his rifle echoed back to him: ' _there are shots that I can live with_.' As his eyes traveled up, he saw his brother in the moonlight standing on a rock at the edge of the trail and knew this was one of them.

* * *

***मैं मर गया! मिशन को पूरा करें is the actual translation and it means 'I am dead. Complete the mission.' I'm afraid Google Translate doesn't do Hindi very well. Thanks to JoeNeal for her help in making sure things are okay!


	10. Chapter 10

**Disclaimer:** I do not own the Hardy Boys or any of the book characters.

 **Thank you:** Wendylouwho10 as always for being my sounding board and flow checker. ;-D Typos and grammar errors are mine.

 **Rating/Setting:** Rating is T. Continues my "Taken" series. This one comes after "Debts." Setting started out as kinda blue spine with a touch of Casefiles and is now very AU. F/20 J/18.

 **Author's Notes:** There are just two chapters after this one. I am still writing on the sequel but have actually been reading a lot and playing an online game so I haven't made as much progress as I thought I would have. But never fear! I am still working on it. It just may take me a little longer to get it published than I originally expected. :-) Thanks as always for the reviews!

* * *

 **Chapter Ten**

Frank directed the Network agents coming down the mountain to the dead body below. His focus was on getting to his brother. As he rounded the switchback, he saw Joe talking to one of the Network agents; his rifle slung across his back. Nearing them, he saw the blanket over a body along the mountainside of the trail, partially obscured by shadows. Did Joe kill her too?

Joe turned and saw him and when the agent tried to hold him back to talk some more, Joe shrugged him off. When the brothers reached each other they embraced. Joe patted Frank on the back several times as he held him in the hug. "Man, I thought you were going to die," he whispered.

Frank closed his eyes a moment and went back to the moment her heard the woman call out. "When I heard that woman's voice I thought you WERE dead." Frank pushed back and looked into his brother's eyes.

Joe didn't flinch. "I didn't kill her."

Frank continued to look at his brother, the unasked question obvious in his eyes.

"But there are shots I can live with."

Frank gave a nod as another agent that Joe had been talking to came over.

"Let me look at that arm now?" the man said.

"Arm?" Frank said as he scanned his brother. Had the darkness covered an injury?

Joe shook his head as he held out his arm and winced. "Dog."

Frank looked at his brother. "How? There was only one shot."

The medic was looking at them both with interested. "I'll get it looked at later," Joe said. But the medic stayed, obviously wanting to hear the answer. Looking over to the dog, he said, "The dog was on top of me. I shot through the dog and her at the same time."

It was then that Frank realized that Joe's situation had been just as precarious as his own. Any thoughts he had were pushed to the side as the sound of running feet approached. Vanessa.

"To hell with professionalism," she said loudly as she threw herself into Joe's arms.

.**********.

Joe grabbed her and wrapped her in a tight one-armed embrace, burying his face in her neck. "I'm okay," he said in a muffled voice.

She pushed back and scanned him and then Frank. "I heard shots-" She broke off as she saw the body on the ground and then looked back to Joe.

"I'll explain everything later."

An ATV was coming up from the bottom of the mountain. "Ah, the cavalry has arrived," the medic said. "They'll take you up to the top of the mountain. The second chopper will take all of you out while the ground units take care of the other campers." The man laughed and all three turned to look at him. "Well, they wanted a survival camp experience. I guess they got their money's worth."

Joe couldn't even think of anything to say. The 4x4 stopped carefully past the body of the assailant and the Hardys and Vanessa climbed in. Frank sat up front with the driver as it was Clary and Frank knew him best.

.**********.

Frank sat silently. Waiting.

"The three of you went above and beyond our expectations," Clary said as the lights of the 4x4 cut through the darkness as they headed upward. On occasion they passed a Network agent headed down.

"And did you expect this?" Frank asked coldly.

"Hell no!" He glanced at the young man beside him. "We had this plan in place but we truly didn't expect to use it."

"But the panic room. The evaluations-"

"The evaluations were just to see what you were capable of. Not because we expected you to use them during the camp." Clary's hands twisted on the wheel. "The Network and ORT often compete for the same type of agents and to be honest, your names have come up as hot commodities in our world."

"Gee thanks," Joe said sarcastically from the backseat. "For the record, putting us in situations like you did at the camp doesn't win you any points with us. You might want to think about altering your recruitment PR package."

Clary was silent. "It's obvious now that we went about that the wrong-"

Vanessa snorted. "That's the problem. It should have been obvious BEFORE all this happened."

"Wait, did you say 'panic room'?" Joe asked leaning forward in the seat.

Frank stared at Clary waiting for an answer.

"The group that came after the Zanes wouldn't be stopped by a panic room. If they brought dogs, which they did, and it led to a panic room they would have used explosives. Would the room hold? Maybe but it's made to hold out against bullets and small explosions, but it was nothing we wanted to chance. Not if we could evacuate the Zanes to the mountaintop."

The three sat in silence. Clary made sense but….

"Would they want to draw that kind of attention to themselves? Killing that many people?" Vanessa asked.

"To them completing the mission is everything. They try for stealth and usually succeed, but if it doesn't work, they use whatever means are necessary." Clary glanced in the rearview mirror to Joe. "And they never are taken alive for questioning."

"The cyanide," he said almost too soft for Frank to hear.

"Cyanide?"

"Yeah. After I shot the woman I told her to put down her weapon or I'd shoot. She called out something to her partner and then did something funny with her mouth, probably a hollow tooth or something. She fell to the ground dead with foam at her mouth." Joe closed his eyes at the memory and silence descended over the vehicle.

What Joe described was the same thing he had seen in the bathroom with the other Assassin. Frank glanced back at the couple. They were both doing all right but he wasn't sure that it would stay that way. He looked back to Clary. "Just where are we going?"

"The choppers will take you to a Network facility just west of Richmond. You'll get medical care there and will be debriefed."

"What about the Zanes?" Joe asked.

Vanessa put her hand on his arm. "The first chopper took them out already. I believe they've gone to that same facility." She directed this toward Clary.

"That's right."

"Did Jeffrey have any last movie quotes?" Joe asked.

"No. He was too freaked out but holding it together for his sister. When we—" her voice broke for a moment. "When we heard that first shot." She stopped. "He was really worried for you." Joe gave her a squeeze as she added, "So was I."

Frank turned to face the front as the 4x4 cleared the lower area of trees and arrived at the bald peak. "Dad was right about you guys."

"What do you mean?" Clary asked as he pulled the vehicle to a stop near the chopper.

"You don't tell everything and I'm sure there are still things we don't know."

Clary looked ahead to the chopper and then turned his body so he could look at all of them. "It's true you don't know everything but I promise that some things will be made clear and explained."

"Some." Vanessa's voice was hard and cynical.

"There's _always_ something you won't know unless you are top brass. I don't even know everything about this mission." He looked at each one of them. "But it was a privilege to serve with you and I'd trust each of you with my life."

After exiting, Frank moved to stand next to Clary before climbing into the chopper. "The question is can we trust you with ours?"

"I understand your doubt and I hope I never have to save any of your lives but I hope you'll be pleasantly surprised to learn that you can trust me." He held out his hand and Frank shook it.

"Good-bye, sir." Frank climbed into the chopper and sat next to Vanessa and across from his brother. A medic was going to field dress Joe's arm on the flight whether he wanted it or not and judging by the look on Joe's face, he didn't want it. Frank smiled ever so slightly. Some things didn't change and some things changed drastically. His smile faded. He didn't know the whole story but he knew his brother had killed one person and now he understood his father's concerns about the Network. But there was no going back only forward.

.**********.

Joe concentrated on his arm and the medic. Now that the adrenaline rush was over, the arm was throbbing painfully and his shoulder hurt as well. But the pain wasn't why he was looking at his arm. He could feel Vanessa and Frank both staring at him. He had been honest when he had told Frank that he could live with the shot but he did need time to process everything. In less than two hours time he had gone from being a camper to sniper and now back to what he was… brother and boyfriend. But the part of him that was a sniper was becoming a bigger part of him.

 _I killed someone today. It wasn't an accident. It wasn't pretend. It was real. Someone died because of me._ Joe watched the medic dress the wound and get an ice pack from the cooler. His forearm had swollen quite a bit from the bite and he was going to need stitches. He closed his eyes and leaned his head back; the headset pushed forward slightly on his head. _They don't stop, Clary said. They complete the mission. The girl committed suicide rather than be captured. It was Frank or an unknown killer. No other option._ He opened his eyes and looked into his brother's _. I'd make the choice any day of the week._


	11. Chapter 11

**Disclaimer:** I do not own the Hardy Boys or any of the book characters.

 **Thank you:** Wendylouwho10 as always for being my sounding board and flow checker. ;-D Typos and grammar errors are mine.

 **Rating/Setting:** Rating is T. Continues my "Taken" series. This one comes after "Debts." Setting started out as kinda blue spine with a touch of Casefiles and is now very AU. F/20 J/18.

 **Author's Notes:** This is the shortest chapter in the story. Sorry! Only one more chapter to go!

* * *

 **Chapter Eleven**

 _At the Network medical facility outside of Richmond…_

Joe entered the conference room and found Vanessa and Frank already there with a man he didn't know.

The man stood and extended his hand. "Hello, Joe. My name is Arthur Gray."

Joe looked him over as he shook his hand and nodded at him as they both sat down at the table. The man was shorter than him and thinner. Rather nondescript- which wasn't bad for a secret agent he supposed.

Vanessa moved around the table to sit next to Joe. She was examining his arm which was now bandaged and in a sling. "How are you feeling? Are you sure you're up for this now? It's 2:30 in the morning." She turned to glower at Gray. "I would think all this would wait until a decent hour."

"No, I'd rather go ahead and get it over with," Joe said tiredly as Frank nodded as well.

"This shouldn't take a lot of time. Just recount what occurred once a Network agent alerted you to initiate the evacuation plan," Gray said as he folded his hands in his lap and leaned back.

"I'll go first," Frank said and then started with the moment that Peaks entered his room. When he reached the part of the campers going down into the panic room he stopped. "You know, it would have been nice to be informed of the alternate plan instead of learning about it on the go," he said in irritation.

"And it's kinda crummy that you'd send us out to be chased instead of letting us go into the panic room as well," Vanessa said angrily. "We could have been killed!"

"Did you think that ORT work was all going to be done at a desk? If so, then you shouldn't be working with the Hardy brothers," Gray said somewhat smugly. As Vanessa began an angry retort, he raised his hand. "But I do feel you need an explanation of the group that was after the Zanes."

"Finally, some answers," Joe grumped.

"The Assassins were contracted by the group that Mr. Zane infilitrated—"

Vanessa leaned forward abruptly. "He was found out?! He is okay? Is he dead?"

Gray frowned at Vanessa. "We were able to get Mr. Zane out before they could do him significant harm—"

"Significant? That doesn't sound good," Vanessa said as she crossed her arms on the table.

"The mission to recover him was considered a success—"

Joe smiled a little as Vanessa grumbled about the Network's definition of success.

Gray cleared his throat. "As I was saying… the Assassins are a freelance group that deal in death and destruction on a scale large and small. They will take any job. Their price is steep but those contracting them know of their death before dishonor policy."

"You mean the 'if I can't kill you I'll kill myself policy'?" Joe asked. "Yeah, I saw that in action. Creepy."

"What's happens since they failed?" Frank asked.

"They forfeit this fee and a number of their agents assigned to the mission are dead. While they have a lot of resources, Assassins are hard to train and they just lost five."

"There were three others?" Joe inquired quietly.

"Yes. Two committed suicide. Three were killed by agents. If there were others, they escaped." Gray let the information hang in the air. "We found two backpacks of explosives. There was enough to level the dorms and take out the panic rooms."

"It still would have been nice to be informed," Vanessa said as she sat back in her chair.

"Miss Bender, if you want nice join the FBI," Gray said coolly.

Joe glared at Gray. The man definitely wasn't winning any points in his book.

"Continue with your narrative, Frank," Gray said.

Frank continued and ended with seeing the fallen Assassin on the ground. Frank and Vanessa looked to Joe.

"I did what I had to do."

"Indeed you did, Joe. The Assassin would have killed your brother," Gray said studying the young man.

Joe just nodded.

"Now, if you'd share your story," he looked from Vanessa to Joe. You can both tell what occurred."

"I'll start," Vanessa said as she looked at her boyfriend.

Joe made additional comments where needed and Vanessa described her ascent to the summit without Joe. There were no problems other than a distraught Brianna. Joe then proceeded to tell what happened when Vanessa and the Zanes left him. He couldn't help it. His voice became monotone and he related everything in a matter of fact way. At the end, his eyes darted between all of them. "What?"

"Are you okay, Joe?" Gray's voice held true concern for the first time.

Joe turned his icy blue gaze on him. "Mr. Gray, you know my history. You know that this wasn't easy for me… for any of us. But it's what I've trained for and I'll be fine." He looked at his brother and his girlfriend. "I've got family to help me."

Gray nodded. "If you need anything from us, please don't hesitate to ask." He stood. "We have rooms for you to stay in tonight as well as a change of clothes. Your bags will be here later this morning. After you've rested, we'll get you back to Bayport. When I leave, an agent will be in to show you to your rooms."

"Thank you," Frank said as they stood.

The three wearily followed their designated agent to a corridor lined with rooms. Each was given a key and directed to a room. Joe watched as Frank discreetly headed into his room and closed the door. Pulling Vanessa into a one-armed hug, he held her tightly. "I'm okay," he whispered.

"You don't have to pretend with me."

"Stay with me?"

She hugged him tightly. "I'll get my things." When she stepped back she looked up in his eyes. "I'll help you keep the demons away."

"You always do," he said with a smile and moved to his door.


	12. Chapter 12

**Disclaimer:** I do not own the Hardy Boys or any of the book characters.

 **Thank you:** Wendylouwho10 as always for being my sounding board and flow checker. ;-D Typos and grammar errors are mine.

 **Rating/Setting:** Rating is T. Continues my "Taken" series. This one comes after "Debts." Setting started out as kinda blue spine with a touch of Casefiles and is now very AU. F/20 J/18.

 **Author's Notes:** This chapter ends this story. Just like with the last if you review and have PM enabled, I'll PM you the title and summary for the next story! I'm now on chapter 15 of the next story! I anticipate it being about 20 chapters, maybe a little longer. So review if you want to know what the next story will be!

* * *

 **Chapter Twelve**

Fenton Hardy was livid as he sat in the ORT conference room with Agents Johnson and Williams, Frank, Joe, and Vanessa. He had been called to come in for the ORT debriefing on the mission. They had told him that the three were all right but an attempt had been made and foiled and they were coming in for a debriefing before going to their homes. Johnson and Williams had given him the debrief papers just twenty minutes before the trio came in.

"Dad, my arm is fine. It's just a little stiff," Joe said carefully.

Fenton stared at his son for a moment and then said, "I think you know that while your arm is a concern, it is secondary to you having a confirmed sniper kill at age eighteen."

Joe didn't lower his eyes from his father's stern gaze. "It was the Assassin or Frank; I think you agree with my choice."

"That's just it!" Fenton exploded. He turned his anger toward those more appropriate. "You KNOW the Network! Yet you still had them go!"

"We didn't make them," Johnson said calmly.

Fenton laughed derisively. "Like the three of them would tell you no."

"Dad!" Frank's voice was loud and like a knife slicing through the air. "It was OUR choice. You told us about your experience with the Network and we chose to go. And yes, we do trust Agents Johnson and Williams but we aren't idiots!" His voice dropped. "You didn't raise us that way."

Fenton's anger abated somewhat. His children and Vanessa would live with the memories from this mission and he didn't need to make things worse for them. "You shouldn't have been in that position."

"Mr. Hardy?"

Fenton turned in surprise to Vanessa. He hadn't really expected her to speak after his outburst but he should have realized that she would always speak her mind… especially if it concerned Joe.

"None of us are happy with how the Network handled some aspects of this assignment." She looked to the ORT agents. "However, there is nothing to indicate that the Network knew that an attack would occur. In light of the fact that none of the campers were harmed and the Zanes are now safe shows that we should take pride in our part of that."

Fenton deflated more. "I'm not questioning your actions—"

"Just Joe's," she said firmly.

Fenton stopped and looked from the young woman to his son. "I just didn't want him to—" Fenton paused, closed his eyes and drew a deep breath before opening them. He looked into Joe's eyes and said, "I'm glad you made that choice. It was no different than the choice your mother made at Whitaker's State Park and no different than the choice I would have made in Michigan. _Never_ doubt that. I just wish you didn't have to make that choice at such a young age."

"Thank you, dad," Joe whispered out, finally showing the emotion that was hidden behind his stoic facial expression.

The room remained quiet for a moment and then Fenton turned to the agents. "Conduct your debriefing." He flipped through the papers on the table. "I don't see where there is much more to question."

"There isn't regarding what happened once the plan was put into motion," Johnson said. If he were relieved that Fenton had calmed down, he didn't show it. "Agent Williams and I wanted to check on the Network agents' behavior toward the three of you while you were in your cover as campers."

"Well, they treated me just like the other girls," Vanessa said. "But they definitely were evaluating Frank and Joe.

"What do you mean?" Williams asked.

"They had me spar with Agent Peaks," Frank said as he leaned back and crossed his arms. "Clary came right out and told me they wanted to see if we could do the things listed in your reports. He said it was just in case they needed us on loan again."

"What about you, Joe?" Williams asked as she made a notation on her tablet.

"They purposefully pushed my buttons by pairing Vanessa up with an obvious flirt and then having me spar with him. They had me show how well I could shoot when we were doing individual shooting." Joe paused and the fingers drummed on his chair arm. "They made references to my time with Laird whenever we were outside."

"Ticked me off," Vanessa muttered.

When Williams looked to Johnson, Fenton asked, "I certainly hope you at least plan to speak to them about that behavior."

Johnson's tone was firm. "Oh, believe me. We have a number of things to address with Agent Gray when we speak to him."

"Is that all then?" Frank asked the agents.

"Yes, we're done," Williams said as she stood. "You have a couple of days left of break. Enjoy them if you can."

The agents left the room and the other four stood.

"Would you mind giving Joe and I a moment?" Fenton asked. Frank and Vanessa both agreed and stepped out, closing the door behind them.

Joe looked a little apprehensive and Fenton was sorry that he had made his son feel that way. He walked slowly over to him and embraced him, being careful with Joe's injured arm. "You always make me proud. Never doubt that. Never," he said as he gave Joe a final squeeze.

"Thanks, dad." He looked down towards his shoes and then up into his father's eyes. "I know that you didn't want me to be in this position, but Agent Gray said something at our debriefing that just stuck with me."

"What?" Fenton couldn't think of anything helpful that little rat could say.

"He basically told Vanessa if she wanted safe she shouldn't have paired with us and ORT but should have gone with the FBI," Joe said with a smile.

Fenton bristled.

"It's okay, dad. He was right. Frank and I signed up for this kind of work." He reached out and put his good hand on his father's shoulder. "I'm also good at it."

"I know," Fenton said with a smile. "It's part of what worries me. The choices ORT and the Network might force you into."

"I have you, Frank, and Vanessa to help me," Joe smiled and then it faded. "But the choices are always mine and my responsibility." His face grew more concerned. "Ummm, Mom…."

"Ah." Fenton reached out and rubbed his son on the back. "She won't know. Classified."

"Right. Right," Joe said with relief. "I just don't want her— you know."

"I know. You're still her baby," Fenton said somewhat wistfully. "When did you grow up?"

"One dark night on the way to the Mortons'." Joe's eyes showed that haunted look for a few seconds and then it was gone.

Fenton wasn't sure what to say about that but he put his arm around Joe and moved to the door. Sometimes you didn't need words.

.**********.

That evening, Joe and Vanessa were playing a game of cards at her mother's house. Andrea was in the kitchen cleaning up from the meal she had fixed for them. They had offered to help, but she had shooed them back into the living room.

Joe looked at his hand and then up at Vanessa with a mischievous wink. "How about a bet? If I win, I get to take you home. If you win, you can come home with me."**

Vanessa laughed. "I'm already home!" She stopped and looked at him. He was still smiling. "Wait… is that from a movie?"

"I got a thank you note from Jeffrey before we left Richmond. He gave me a few quotes to help me out." Joe's grin was broad as Vanessa threw a pillow at him and laughed.

* * *

 ****"If I win, I get to take you home. If you win, you can come home with me."** **Trees Lounge (1996)**

 **.*.**

* * *

.**********.

 **Epilogue:**

Al-Rousasa looked at the file that had just been placed on his desk. "Another failure, Hassan?"

"I'm afraid so, sir," the man said quietly. "None of them were taken?" he asked, meaning the Assassins that had been sent.

"None were taken. All followed protocol or were killed outright, none escaped."

Al-Rousasa looked at some of the surveillance photos that had been taken of Camp Perseverance. He pulled out a shot that showed a group walking across an open area. Four figures were circled. "It's a shame we couldn't take them out on Monday when we discovered they were there. A clean kill would have been easiest and best but the client wanted to try for a capture." He let out a snort. "Now they have nothing." He grabbed a pen and drew an additional circle around two of the figures. "These Hardy boys have shown up twice in two months interfering with our operations." He circled another figure. "It appears that Joe's girlfriend is also an agent." He smiled and it was not pleasant. "It will make things so much easier.

"How, sir?" Hassan asked carefully.

Al-Rousas reached into a drawer and dropped four additional folders on his desk. He waved his hand over them. "Five cases of agencies costing us money." He flipped open several folders. "CIA. Network. SWAT. ATF." He paused as he looked inside one of the folders. He shook his head. "I told you once before that these people and the agencies they work for all need to be taught a lesson."

"Have you devised a plan?" Hassan asked.

"I have and it's time I shared it with you. People will think twice before interfering with the Assassins again," Al-Rousasa said with a smile.

Hassan returned the smile.

"Tomorrow I will share the plan with you. But now, I need to contact Maya and let her know that her sister is dead." Hassan pulled the picture taken of the group in Virginia. "I think she may want to be in on the plan to avenge her sister's death."

"Isn't she currently working with the Assassins in Mumbai?"

"She is, but I think I will release her from her service there." He looked back at the picture. "Sibling bonds are strong and it may take her to break this one."

"As you will," Hassan said and bowed before leaving the room.

Al-Rousasa stared at the picture and whispered, "One whose bond was broken to break another." He smiled again. "Poetic."


End file.
